Marked for Greatness
by BlueserDragon
Summary: What's worse than an "unfocused and distracted dragon"? An "unfocused, distracted AND heartbroken dragon". Secrets are revealed and loyalty is tested to the limit. In the end, Jake and Rose will have to make a choice that will change their lives forever.
1. A Heartbroken Dragon

**This is the first time I'm writing a fanfic, so be nice with me. :)**

**This was in the back of my head for a while so I thought I should just write it anyway :P**

**I hope you like it!**

_Note: Parts in italic are thoughts or memories._

**Excuse me for any grammatical mistakes - I'm not an English speaker - But I tried to make it as right as possible :P**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney. **

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**Chapter 1: A Heartbroken Dragon**

"_I'm sorry Jake, but I don't think this is gonna work out."_

"_Rose, don't say that! I should've trusted you! I…"_

"_From now on, I think we need to keep our relationship… Strictly professional."_

"Jakey? Jakey? Are you listening to me?"

Jake and his friends were sitting at a table in the cafeteria, talking about a random subject when memories from that disastrous night came back to haunt his mind.

"Oh… Sorry Trix… I kind of… Wandered off a little." Jake answered.

"You mean AGAIN? This is like… The thousandth time today!" Trixie sighed. "_What is the matter with this boy?"_

"And about the… Millionth time this week." Spud added, counting on his fingers.

"You weren't thinking about Rose again, were you?" Trixie asked in an annoyed tone.

Jake sighed. "Sorry guys… I can't help it… I can't stop thinking about that night. It just doesn't make any sense. And if Rose really cares about me, why is she avoiding me?"

"I don't know Jake… Maybe because you didn't trust her and hit her with a cupid arrow?" Trixie said sarcastically.

"No… I mean…"

Jake was cut off by Trixie: "Jakey, did it pass through your mind that maybe the Huntsman was keeping a close eye on her and she was afraid he could find out about you two? What did she tell you back then?"

"I… I didn't think about that…" Jake admitted sadly. "She… she told me that we needed to… spend some time apart…" He thought about it for a moment. "Aww man… How could I be so stupid?" He cried.

"Don't worry bro. I'm sure Rose will forgive you." Spud said, trying to cheer his friend up.

"I don't know Spud… It's been three weeks already and I didn't even have a chance to talk to her! It seems like she is really trying to avoid me." He looked down at the floor. "Homecoming is getting near and I really need to ask Rose to go with me… It's my only chance to make up to her…"

"Well… Here's your chance. Rose's right there". Spud answered pointing to the table on the corner of the cafeteria.

"What?" Jake turned around and saw her. She was alone, seemingly reading some books, until she sighed and put them all into her backpack.

"_It's now or never". _He gulped as he stood up and slowly walked towards Rose. She seemed to be distracted with something else and didn't notice him coming.

"Hey". Jake said shyly.

Rose almost jumped in surprise. "Wha…uhh… Jake? Hey yourself"

She hid what she had on her hands and looked at him. Her face was as pale as a sheet.

"Rose? Is everything ok? You look really pale". He asked, worried.

"I'm ok. It's just that... You scared me a bit".

"Oh… Sorry… I didn't mean to…"

"It's alright Jake". She said with a smile.

Jake was feeling really awkward now. "_Way to go Jake! It's the first time you talk to Rose in weeks and the first thing you do is scare her!" _

"Uhh… I…Uhhh…"

Rose loved when Jake started to get nervous when talking to her. She always thought it was cute. She smiled, but then remembered that she had to keep their relationship "strictly professional". She cursed herself in her mind and broke the silence.

"So… What have you been up to?"

"Ah… uhhh… Not much really… Just… Dragon training, protecting magical creatures, fighting some trolls… You know… Just the usual stuff. What about you? I mean… We didn't talk ever since the…" He trailed off as he realized what he was saying. "Look… Rose… I'm really sorry. I am such an idiot! It was all my fault! I screwed up everything! I should've trusted you... I..." Jake didn't notice that he was talking so loud that everybody started to look at him. They could tell he was really desperate. Trixie and Spud were face palming by now.

Rose nervously looked around, feeling everybody's eyes on her. "Jake. It's ok. I forgive you. But please, be more discreet!" Her voice came up a bit harsher than she expected. She sighed as everyone continued to do what they were doing before. Now, she spoke with a softer tone: "Jake, I understand. I'm not mad about that anymore. I really forgive you… But we agreed to keep our relationship strictly professional, remember?"

"But… Why? I mean… I know you are afraid of the Huntsman finding out about us, but is this really necessary?" He asked sadly.

"I'm sorry, but this is the way it has to be". She answered, trying to hide her true feelings.

"I've been trying to talk to you for days… But you were always avoiding me." Jake paused, trying to find the right words to express himself. "Rose, you don't need to lie. I know you hate me for don't trusting you. You have all the right to be angry. I was a complete jerk."

"Jake… No, I'm not…" She didn't know what to say. He really got her this time. His words shattered her heart into a million pieces. She wanted to send everything to hell and just kiss him.

"Please, just give me a second chance. I promise I won't let you down again. Let's go to the Homecoming ball together… Not as the American Dragon and the Huntsgirl… But just as Jake and Rose… I… I just want us to feel like a normal couple… at least once… Even if just for a few hours." Jake said in a pleading tone. He held her hands and looked deep into her eyes: "Rose, please…"

His eyes were burning her soul like dragon fire. She couldn't resist them. Rose's heart was screaming for her to just say _"yes"_, but Lao Shi's words were haunting her mind _"Your personal relationship with my grandson has made him unfocused and distracted. And an unfocused and distracted dragon…"_

Rose covered her face with her hand. She couldn't let Jake see the tears that were escaping her eyes. "I'm sorry Jake… I… I can't…" Rose's voice cracked as she picked up her backpack and began to leave.

"_An unfocused and distracted dragon is a slain dragon; an unfocused and distracted dragon is a slain dragon…" _Rose repeated that over and over in her head, but it didn't wash away the sorrow and the guilt that were torturing her. "_Am I really doing the right thing?" _She asked herself.

"But…" Jake trailed off as he watched her walk away. "Awww man!"

Some hours later, at Canal Street Electronics…

"Now, young dragon, I need you to concentrate and… Jake? JAKE?" Lao Shi, his grandfather and dragon master yelled at him. But it seemed like he didn't even hear it.

"Why?" Jake said, heartbroken. He was too "busy" staring at a photo of him and Rose to notice his grandfather ranting in Chinese into his ear.

Lao Shi lost his patience and snatched the photo out of his hands.

"Hey!" Jake cried.

"Enough! And now that I have your attention, let's continue. As I was saying, in a difficult battle, you have to always maintain your calm, be patient and wait for the right moment to make your move. To randomly attack your opponent with no technique is useless." He said while Jake was trying to get his photo back. He finally gave up and sat down. "Good. Now, I want you to close our eyes, concentrate and…"

When Lao Shi closed his eyes, Jake simply snatched it back with the speed of a lightning.

"What?" He looked at Jake who was just staring at the photo again. "AIYA! YOUNG DRAGON!"

But Jake was ignoring him. This made Lao Shi's blood start to boil.

Later, on the rooftop…

"Maybe target practicing will keep Rose out of the kid's mind" Fu Dog commented. It worked. Or so they thought…

"You've got to be kidding me!" Both he and Lao Shi had a hand (or, in Fu's case, his paw) on their faces. In front of them was none other than Jake in dragon form, on his knees next to a target that was designed after a female member of the Huntsclan.

"I'm really sorry! I'm such an idiot! Please, stop ignoring me!"

In the bathroom, after more yelling…

Lao Shi watched as Jake was cleaning the toilet with his dragon tongue. "Remember, first clockwise, then counter-clockwise". He smirked, but then realized something: Jake was quiet. He wasn't complaining or moaning in disgust.

He approached too see what his grandson was doing. He was shocked: Inside the toilet, in the dirt, was the drawing of a heart with a big "crack" in the middle and the letters "J" and "R" written on each side.

The dragon master didn't say a single word. Fu Dog covered his ears as Lao Shi rolled up his sleeves.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The scream could be heard miles away and all the birds in the area flew off in fright. "Awww man!"

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**This takes place after "The Love Cruise", as you can see. **

**Think of it as an AU, if you want. :)**

**I'll try to write chapter 2 tonight. Reviews are welcome (I'm still a bit shy about this, so I need some encouragement) :)**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Obsessed

**Wow! Thanks a lot for your kind reviews! :D**

**Hezpeller: I really like your "Hidden Lives" series! It's great! It really inspired me to write a story myself! Thank you!**

**ada69 and Noble6: Well... I can't really say that. Although I can write a little bit, I'm not sure if I would be able to speak in English all the time. At least not yet :P**

**Marcie Gore: Hmmm... why don't you read and find out? :D**

**Again, thank you all!**

**So. Here it is: Chapter 2.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney. **

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Chapter 2: Obsessed

"AIYA! Jake! This is unacceptable! You should be ashamed of yourself!" Lao Shi was yelling at Jake once again, but this time, he was listening, mainly because of the pain from his last punishment.

"Gramps, I'm sorry. I promise I will…"

"You said the very same thing every day during these last weeks!" Gramps snapped back angrily. "Never make promises you can't keep young dragon!" He sighed. "You are so obsessed with Rose that your duties as the American Dragon have been a disaster! I can't remember the last time we had a successful training session!"

Jake's face sank between his hands. "_My girlfriend hates me, I'm failing school, I'm failing as the American Dragon… How can this get any worse?"_

"I'm not obsessed with Rose!" Jake answered angrily.

"You aren't? Then do you care to explain why the only thing I can hear from you during our mediations is "Rose"? Lao Shi said, with emphasis on ROSE.

"OK. Maybe I'm thinking about her a bit too much."

"A bit too much? Kid, I hate admit it, but Gramps is right! You were talking to a target up there!" Fu said exasperatedly.

"Alright, alright…. I've got it. I'm obsessed with Rose! So what?" He said dryly.

"Jake, as the American Dragon you have a great responsibility. You can't let your personal problems affect your duties as the protector of the magical creatures. What will they think if they… see you drawing hearts on the grass while ogres attack a village?" Lao Shi said with a serious tone.

"Uhhh… How do you know about that?" Jake asked nervously.

Fu and Gramps looked at each other with an unreadable expression.

Jake then realized that he had just incriminated himself. "I'm in trouble, ain't I?"

Some minutes later…

"Uh…. What exactly would be this?" Jake said as he looked at the potion Lao Shi gave him.

"It's a Cold-Heart potion" Gramps answered.

"Say what now?" He asked again, more confused than ever.

"Cold-Heart potion. Kid, this thing was created to heal broken hearts faster. It will ease your feelings for Rose. But be careful, it can also make you completely forget about her" Fu dog said while he closed his potions book.

"WHAT? NO WAY! I'll not drink this! I don't want to forget Rose!"

"Young dragon, you have to. Unless you focus more on your responsibilities, I'm afraid it's the only way to make things straight again."

Jake couldn't believe his ears. He sat down on a chair and just stared at the vial with the red liquid. "I… I can't… I… love her. I don't want to let her go"

"Grandson, many times in our lives we need to make sacrifices. Your love for Rose has made you unfocused and distracted. You are going down a really dangerous path."

"_Why that sounds so familiar?" _Jake thought. He looked at the potion again. He slowly started to put it close to his mouth. _"If this at least eases my pain…"_

"No!" Jake suddenly dropped the vial and it crashed on the floor. "I can't! I just can't! How can you two do this to me?" He said with pure anger "I will not let Rose go! NEVER!"

Lao Shi started to rant in Chinese. "JAKE! As your dragon master I order you to drink this potion!"

"I won't! And nothing that you say will make me change my mind! You don't have the right to tell me who I can love or not!"

Gramps threw his arms into the air. "What do you expect me to do? I made Rose break up with you so you would concentrate more on your duties, but you just can't keep her off your childish mind for a second!"

Jake froze. "What?" it came out more like a whisper. Then he started to put all the pieces together inside his head. "You did what?"

Lao Shi regretted his outburst. "I didn't have other choice Jake, I…"

Jake just slammed his fist into the wall (it was in dragon-form), making a huge hole on it. "SO IT WAS YOU! How could you do that to me? How could you do that to US?"

Lao Shi backed away as his grandson advanced towards him. Fu could only watch in horror: "Jake, please, calm down!"

"It was perfect! PERFECT! I FELT LIKE THE HAPPIEST DRAGON IN THE WORLD! And then… then everything just fell to pieces… I thought I had screwed up everything. I thought it was my fault…" Jake was almost crying "BUT IT WAS YOU! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO RUINED IT! I will never forgive you for that! NEVER!"

"I DID WHAT WAS BEST FOR YOU! YOU WOULD'VE ENDED UP SLAIN IF I DIDN'T DO SOMETHING!" Lao Shi paused for his usual rantings. "Enough! Let's get back to dragon training!"

"Enough. Yeah. You are right." Jake said coldly as he turned around and headed towards the door.

"Where are you going? We aren't done yet!" Gramps yelled.

"I am" The tone of Jake's voice sent shivers down the spine of everyone in the shop. Then, he slammed the door with violence as he left.

It took several minutes for Lao Shi to understand what had just happened. He then started to kick everything and yell in frustration.

"I'm sorry to say this but… Your plan totally backfired" Fu commented.

He received a "shut up" glare from the elder dragon.

"Where are you going now?" the shar-pei asked as Lao Shi began to leave as well.

"I need to find Rose".

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**Well, looks like Gramps got busted! :P**

**Since this one seems to be a bit more "intense". I thought I should make it a little shorter. **

**Besides, it seemed like a good place to put a little cliffhanger.**

**So... what do you think? :D**


	3. Destiny

******Phew... It took me a little longer to write this one. **

******Again, Thanks a lot for your reviews!**

******Marcie Gore and Fudogg: Indeed. I really liked the show (and I still do actually XD). I know it ended almost 3 years ago, but there are some plot flaws that make me cringe to this day. Although "Homecoming" and "HKL" are two of my favourites, I must say that, continuity-wise, they are a disaster. To change the past is probably one of the worst things someone can do in a TV series (really... just think of it: If Rose always attended to the same school as Jake, they would eventually meet and fall in love, Huntsgirl or not. And the worse: How could "Huntsgirl" wish for the destruction of the Huntsclan if she never existed? I'll not even mention the AU Rose remembering things that "never happened"... Let alone remember how to fight since she "never had an actual training"... Ugh... I'm having a headache right now...). **

******I spent my hours of boredom wondering what if things happened a bit different than on the show. And some days ago I thought: "Heck... I'll just write a fic!" XD**

******Well, I hope you like it! :D**

******Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney. **

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Chapter 3: **Destiny**

Jake had never felt so bad in his whole life. He couldn't believe his own grandfather could backstab him like that. He felt betrayed. Even Rose was lying to him. He wasn't paying attention to anything. He only wanted to get home and lock himself inside his bedroom.

"Jake? You're home this early? What happened?" His mother asked him, worried.

"Nothing. I just want to be alone for a while" He answered as he was going upstairs.

Jake got inside his room, slammed the door shut and locked it. He didn't want anyone to bother him.

He sat down on his bed and buried his face in his hands. "_Why these things always happen to me?"_ Jake looked at his side and saw the photo of the Fall Dance from last year on his nightstand. He smiled as the memories came back to him. A year ago, everything was perfect, being the American Dragon was the best thing that he could ever wish for: he felt special, he felt like it was a blessing. But then, his blessing seemed to be turning into a curse as it started to deteriorate his school grades and his "human" life…

Jake suddenly cleared his mind of all these thoughts as he laid in his bed and started to fall asleep. He liked being the American Dragon. Even thought it had its downsides, he couldn't imagine his life without it anymore. It was one of the few things he was actually good at. It gave him the feeling of fulfillment, of responsibility.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the streets…

Rose slowly walked "home" (she didn't really consider the Huntslair as home anymore) while trying to forget all the troubles of her life. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about Jake. Her heart was still yelling at her for ditching him.

The image of his pleading eyes looking deep inside hers suddenly flashed in her mind. She felt dizzy and leaned against the wall to keep her balance. Rose moaned and put a hand on her forehead. That stupid headache was torturing her for hours now. "_Maybe it wasn't such a good idea"_ She thought.

She waited a minute or two and started to walk again.

"Rose?" Someone said. She turned her head and saw Lao Shi standing behind her.

"Lao Shi? What's wrong?" Rose asked, noticing his sad expression.

"We need to talk".

At Canal Street Electronics 

Rose felt a lot better as soon as she took a sip of tea. Her head was still pounding, but at least the nausea was gone.

"Wait… Let me get this straight. You want me to get back with Jake?" She was a bit confused.

"Only if your heart says so" Lao Shi told her.

"But… Didn't you say…"

Gramps sighed. "I know what I said... But a heartbroken Jake turned out to be even harder to deal with. At first I thought he just needed some time to recover, but he just got worse as the days passed".

"I should have guessed this would happen" Rose whispered sadly.

"What do you mean?" Fu Dog asked.

"I don't know… There was a part of me that never believed this would work…" She paused. "Maybe I went too far. I didn't talk to Jake since the day we broke up. I just couldn't risk it. I was afraid I would slip up. Today I didn't see him coming and he almost made me spill the beans. He thinks I'm still mad at him because of the Love Cruise."

"Well… You don't need to worry about that anymore" Fu said. "He already knows"

"What? But… how?"

"Gramps here blabbed out" the talking dog said, pointing at Lao Shi.

"Well… That's not good" Rose said with a worried expression.

"You don't have to worry. Jake's not angry with you. I'm afraid I destroyed his trust in me instead. I just hope he will forgive me someday" Lao Shi lamented. "Rose, now listen to me. I need you to talk to my grandson and make sure he gets himself straight again. The magical community needs him"

"I'll do my best" She said with a smile. "And don't worry. Jake has a good heart. He will forgive you".

"Thanks Rose" Gramps answered feeling a little better.

"I am the one who should thank you. You don't know how good is to know that I can be with Jake again. I couldn't keep him out of my mind for a second during the last weeks" Rose felt silly saying that.

"Well… I've got to say, you two are really made for each other" Fu chuckled.

"Rose, are you feeling well? You look sick" Lao Shi asked, concerned.

"I'm just with a little headache. I think I must have read a bit too much today"

Lao Shi knew it wasn't just that. "You have black circles under your eyes…"

Rose sighed. "It's just that… Jake is the closest thing to a 'family' I've ever had. When I talk to him, all my problems seem to vanish as soon as I hear his voice… These days without him were really hard; all my frustrations built up inside of me and I just couldn't focus on anything. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat… I felt… alone… helpless…"

"What do you mean? You don't have a family?" Lao Shi was surprised.

"The Huntsman told me my parents died when I was a baby… But he was lying… He took me away from them… He lied to me my entire life…" Her voice was a mixture of anger and sadness. "I have the mark. He told me it was my destiny to destroy all the magical creatures. He transformed me into this monster known as Huntsgirl…" She looked at her birthmark. "If Jake hadn't told me who he was… I… I would have become Huntsgirl forever… Just the thought scares me to death…" She paused as a tear began to slide down her face "Fate can be so cruel sometimes" Rose sighed.

Gramps couldn't believe his ears. His respect for the young woman in front of him grew up considerably. "Rose, the fate is not an uncontrollable force that rules everything. You are the one who writes your own destiny" He paused as he put a comforting hand on her shoulder "Don't think about what could be. You've changed your ways and that's all what matters. You are one of the bravest persons I've ever met. Be strong, young one, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel"

"Thank you Lao Shi" That's all Rose could say, as she wiped her tears.

"Please, call me Gramps. And if you ever need to talk to anyone other than Jake, I'll always be here to listen"

Then, they heard someone sniff and turned their heads. Fu Dog had a handkerchief in his paw. "Uh… there's a bit of dust in my eye" He lied.

"Yeah… right" Rose commented with a smirk. "Well… I'd better get going. The Huntsman will kill me if I arrive too late" She said while getting up. "Thanks for the tea. It made me feel a lot better. I'll talk to Jake in our dreams tonight"

"My pleasure" Lao Shi answered. "Goodbye and good luck!"

"See you later… Gramps"

Jake's house, at night…

Jake woke up as he heard someone knocking on his door. "Jakeroo! Come down, dinner is ready!" He heard his father's muffled voice.

"Alright. I'm coming!" He said as he got up and unlocked the door.

Dinner went on normally, with Haley bragging about her report card, but something was different. Jonathan looked at his son.

"Jakers? What happened? You are so quiet" he asked with a worried tone.

"Well… Gramps and I had a nasty fight today. I found out that he… did something really bad behind my back" He answered sadly.

"What? Sweetheart, are you sure? Dad isn't like that!" Susan said, taken aback.

"Guys… Please… I prefer not to talk about it" Jake said as he ate the last steak.

He put his plate in the sink. "I'll go to bed early today. Good night"

"Jake? Going to bed early? Wow… It's the end of the world!" Haley joked. She received a glare from both parents.

"But honey! You slept the whole afternoon! And what about the dessert?" Her mom asked.

"I'm tired…" He half-lied. "I'll skip it. Give mine to Haley. She deserves it. Good night" Jake said again as he hugged his parents and went upstairs. Now, even Haley was worried. The "she deserves it" didn't have any trace of sarcasm in it.

He changed to his pajamas and brushed his teeth. Before going to bed, he grabbed the Dream Charm from the drawer of his nightstand. Now he REALLY needed to talk to Rose.

Some minutes later, in the dream corridor…

Jake looked around and finally found her door. He hoped it wasn't locked, as it always was after their break up. To his delight, it opened as he turned the doorknob. He hesitated, thinking about what he would say to her. Finally, he pushed it open and entered her dreams.

Everything was dark.

Jake was confused. _"What's going on here?" _He thought. Then it hit him _"It must be a nightmare!"_

"Rose? Rose?" He called.

"Hello, Dragon Boy…" That voice sent shivers down his spine. He turned around.

There she was. But something was off, WAY OFF. She was wearing her Huntsgirl uniform and had her staff, glowing green, in her hands. "Or should I say… Jake Long…" Her eyes were cold and full of pure hate.

"_Well… this isn't good…" _Jake thought as he backed away.

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**What will Jake do now? O.o**

**I started to write yesterday, but I didn't know how to finish it, but ****I'm pretty happy about how this one turned out. **

**So... What did you think about that Lao Shi/Rose part? :P**

**Thanks for reading! Cheers! :D**


	4. Nightmare on the Dream Corridor

**Alright. Here it is. The first "action sequence" of this little story! :D**

**I'll let the chatter at the end this time.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney. **

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Chapter 4: Nightmare on the Dream Corridor

"What's the problem Jake? Are you afraid of me? Don't worry. I won't hurt you." She said. But there was something about her voice that made him cringe. It was… cold… It was so much like… Huntsgirl.

"Rose? What's going on?" Jake wasn't quite sure of what was passing through her mind. He continued to back away. _"If she is trying to scare me… she is doing a really good job"._

Jake's instincts told him to dragon-up. Suddenly, he felt his back touch a wall. He was trapped, as Rose advanced with her staff pointing at him. He looked at her eyes and saw… Nothing. She was going to fire, he just knew it. Jake jumped into the air and flew up as fast as he could. Looking down, he saw the green blast hit the wall right in the place where he was standing a millisecond earlier. _"Close call!"_

"Wow!" Jake barely noticed the second blast. He dodged it as he saw more coming. She was definitely aiming at him. "What are you doing? You are going to hit me!"

"That's the idea! I want your pelt hanging on my wall!" She yelled.

"Say what? Rose? Are you nuts? We are not enemies anymore!" Now he was getting desperate.

"Only in your dreams honey! And stop calling me Rose! She died the moment I found out you were Jake!" She continued to shoot.

"_You've got to be kidding me!" _

"AYA!" She deactivated her staff as she jumped into the air and kicked Jake right on the belly, sending him across the dark surrounding. He hit the ground with a thud.

"_Ouch. That hurts!" _Jake got up as he saw Huntsgirl coming into his direction, swinging her staff in the air. Jake dodged her attacks as the sharp weapon missed his neck by inches. A second later he felt it making a cut in his arm. He didn't like that thing. Jake wrapped his tail around it and threw it far away.

Huntsgirl made a back flip and stood up in a defensive position. "C'mon dragon! That's all you got? I'm not even trying to hurt you yet!"

"I don't want to fight! Will you just cut that out?" He yelled in frustration. _"What's wrong with this woman?" _

"Fine! Then I'll just slay you right now! HIYA!" She lunged at him. Her moves were fast as a lightning. Jake had a hard time trying to block them all. He received some nasty blows, but he couldn't hit her. His heart was making him hold back. "This is way too easy!" Huntsgirl mocked.

Jake felt he was rusty. He couldn't remember the last time he seriously fought Rose (or Huntsgirl, for that matter) apart from the Love Cruise some weeks ago. She suddenly grabbed his arm and threw him into the ground. He rolled away as she tried to punch him in the face. _"C'mon Jake! Think! What's going on here?"_ He was too confused. Why was his girlfriend trying to slay him again? It wasn't a cupid arrow this time.

"Rose! Stop! You don't want to slay me! You are having a nightmare!"

"No. It's your nightmare that is about to start!" She tried to attack, but Jake used his tail to wrap her arms together and throw her away. She landed on her feet. "Nice move, Dragon. Now, watch this!" She jumped into the air and started to spin like a tornado. Jake was hit several times by punches and kicks.

"_Wow… She got a lot better"_ Jake looked into her eyes again, and it struck him. _"This isn't Rose! It's just Huntsgirl!"_

"Rose! Wherever you are, please, you need to stop this!" He yelled to the darkness. He hoped the "real Rose" would hear him. Huntsgirl continued to merciless attack.

"What are you talking about?" She asked while walking over Jake, literally.

"You aren't Rose! You are just a dream! She is having a nightmare about you trying to slay me!"

"Sorry to break your heart honey" Huntsgirl said as she showed her Dream Charm to him. "But I'm as real as you!"

"_It can't be!"_ Jake backed away. He couldn't keep fighting her for much longer. He was getting tired. _"I need to get out of here!"_

Rose grabbed her staff, wich was on the ground near her, and was about to attack again, but Jake created a wall of fire between them. Rose used her arms to protect her face from the heat. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Jake had ripped open a portal back to the Dream Corridor.

"Come back here your coward lizard!" Jake heard her scream. He hoped that she wouldn't follow him out of the door. But, to his horror, she did.

"Awww man! C'mon!" He cried as he started to fly as fast as he could. Rose was still right behind him. Jake also had to dodge some occasional blasts from the staff. _"She has a Dream Charm! But that means… No… It must be something else! She must be in a kind of trance!" _Then, an idea started to form in is mind. It was risky, but it was his only hope.

Jake finally found his dream door. He entered quickly, with Rose following close behind.

"Alright dragon! It's over! Say goodbye!"

"ROSE, NO!"

Those two words echoed in her head. She looked around. She was in a forest. And Jake was tied to a tree.

"Rose, if you wanna say goodbye, say it to my human face" He said as he dragoned-down.

Then, Rose came back to herself, as the memories from that day flashed in her mind. "Wha…" Rose put a hand on her face and moaned. "Jake? What happened?" She asked with a worried tone. She looked at the charged huntstaff in her hands. She dropped it and fell to her knees. "No…"

Jake sighed in relief. _"It worked!"_ He untied himself, walked over to Rose and removed her mask. Her eyes were warm and welcoming again, but with a shade of horror and regret.

"Shhh… It's alright, it's alright. It was just a nightmare… Just a nightmare…" He said, wrapping his arms around her.

She returned the hug. She was trembling of fear. "Please… Tell me I didn't hurt you"

"Don't worry. Just a few bruises and a little cut. They will be gone when I wake up". He said tightening his grip on her.

Rose looked into his eyes. "Jake! You don't understand! We are using Dream Charms! Whatever we do to each other happens for real! If… If I had slain you here… You would… "

Jake gulped. Now he understood why Rose was so scared. "It's ok. Everything is over now" He said trying to comfort her.

"I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't know what I was doing… I couldn't control myself…"

"It wasn't you… I know. That was Huntsgirl. But… How?" Jake asked, confused.

"It's the Dream Charm… When you have a nightmare, instead of allowing you to control your dreams, it does the opposite, trapping you inside them. You can't wake up and the nightmare will completely take over, unless someone else snaps you out of it" She explained, looking at the ground. "My nightmare was about me giving up my human life to become a full-fledged member of the Huntsclan… I… was so scared. It was like someone else was controlling me. I tried to fight back, I tried to scream … But… 'she' was too strong" Rose said, referring to 'Huntsgirl'.

"Rose…"

"I've never thought that this could be so dangerous…" She added sadly. "Jake… We can't use the Dream Charms anymore. I don't want to put you into danger again because of my fears… I'm sorry"

"But… it's the only way we can see each other without worrying about the Huntsman…" Jake couldn't believe that even in their dreams they couldn't be together.

"I know… But I don't want to murder you while we sleep. I just can't take that risk… We will think of another way, don't worry" She said, trying to cheer him up.

Jake sighed… _"Why there always has to be something that breaks us apart?" _But then, he remembered something. "Rose, we need to talk" He said, feeling a bit awkward, but it couldn't wait.

"Yes, we do" She answered, as a little smile crept into her face.

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**So... Do you think it's too short? Too boring? ****I gotta tell you... to describe a fight is really hard! XD**

**Hiezen Uchiha: Sorry? I didn't understand your question. Jake used the dream charm to enter Rose's dream and talk to her, b****ut things went bad. Is that what you wanted to know? **

**Kyeru: Well... It is indeed a nice plot idea. But I don't think Lao Shi would do such a thing. I mean... he was already feeling bad because he did that to Jake. :P**

**Anyway... Thanks for the reviews! :D**

**Until the next chapter! **


	5. Dreaming On

**Here is Chapter 5! ****I hope you like it! **

**Thanks a lot for your reviews! Merci! Gracias! Obrigado! :D**

**ada69: Ah... Sorry! I'm just publishing the chapters as I write them. I'll try to go a little slower from now on, then :P**

**While I was writing this, I was listening to Bad Company's "Desolation Angels" album. The song "Crazy Circles" suddenly came up and it strangely seemed to fit the story quite nicely (It gave me a lot of inspiration) :D When you reach the middle of the story, try to play the song as you read (I think you can easily find it on Youtube). **

**:)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney. **

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Chapter 5: **Dreaming On**

Jake and Rose now found themselves at a restaurant in Venice. Jake was wearing a white shirt and a black tux, completed with a black tie. Rose was wearing a gorgeous light blue dress and her hair was now free from the braid she usually wore it in as Huntsgirl.

"Wow. Rose! You look like an angel!" He said as he just stared at her.

She blushed. "You don't look so bad yourself"

There was a long silence afterwards.

Jake sighed. He didn't know where to start. "So… I need to know… Is it true that Gramps told you to break up with me?"

"Yes… It is…" She admitted sheepishly "Jake… Please, you need to understand… I did that to protect you… I…"

"But… To protect me? That doesn't make any sense…" He answered sadly

"Lao Shi told me that you weren't focusing on your duties as the American Dragon and that I was making you distracted…" She paused trying to find the right words. "An unfocused and distracted dragon…"

"…Is a slain dragon. Yeah. I know. I heard this a lot" He said, pretty annoyed. "And you have to believe everything he says?"

"He is your dragon master! He knows what is best for you"

"Oh no… He sure doesn't. It's not his job to meddle in my personal life" Jake answered dryly.

"Not when it interferes with your responsibilities!"

"Great… Now it's you who is going to give me a lecture about responsibilities…"

"Jake!" She yelled, outraged "You are lucky to have Lao Shi as your master! With this behavior, the Huntsman would send you to the kraken once a week!"

"I would take ten krakens everyday before ditching you!" He snapped back.

"That's not the point! You are the American Dragon! It's your duty to protect the magical creatures. That's not a thing that you can neglect the way you do!"

"What? I don't neglect my duties!" Jake was starting to get angry now.

"Really? Then can you tell me what were you doing with the cupid arrows on the Love Cruise? Or what were you thinking when you let the chimera escape to the Dream Corridor?" She asked, her voice full of sarcasm.

"The chimera thing was an accident! And I thought you didn't want me anymore! What could I do? I was blinded by jealousy!"

"So that means you could just 'borrow' the cupid arrows and use them freely? That's one of the most irresponsible things you ever did!"

"ARGH! You said you already forgave me for that!" He yelled as he put both hands on his face.

"I did. But that doesn't change the fact that you used magical artifacts trusted to you for your own personal gain!" Rose was getting mad too. _"How can he be so stubborn and childish?"_

"MY own personal gain? I did that for US!" Jake got up from his chair.

"US? I never asked you to do that! I only told you to trust me!" She did the same.

"Trust you? You were lying to me!"

"Lying? I didn't lie to you! All I said is that we needed to spend some time apart!"

"It was easy for you to do that! But it wasn't for me!"

"DO YOU HONESTLY THINK IT WAS EASY FOR ME JAKE?" Now Rose lost it. She was screaming at the top of her lungs "FOR GOD'S SAKE! I CRIED MYSELF TO SLEEP THAT NIGHT! I COULDN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT YOU EVER SINCE! I COULDN'T SLEEP! THE GUILT WAS EATING ME FROM THE INSIDE! I WANTED TO KILL MYSELF! BUT I WAS DOING THAT FOR YOU! NOT FOR LAO SHI OR ANYONE ELSE! FOR YOU, AND ONLY FOR YOU! IT WAS THE ONLY THING THAT GAVE ME STRENGHT TO KEEP GOING!" She paused to catch her breath and try to calm down. "But now I see it was useless… I broke my heart for nothing. And now here we are, yelling at each other…" She looked down at the floor. "I…. I only wanted to help you Jake… I wanted the best for you… I didn't want break your heart… I could never do it… But… I… I…. I didn't know what else to do…" She sat down on the chair and started to sob. "I'm sorry Jake… I'm sorry! Do you hear me? I'M SORRY! I WAS WRONG! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW? IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED TO HEAR? I WAS WRONG!" She yelled and finally broke down.

Jake was shocked. He thought about the last weeks. He hated to admit it, but it was true: he was so obsessed with Rose that he was forgetting who he was and what his life was about. _"They were right… They all are right…"_ He regretted everything he had said until then. He felt like the greatest idiot on Earth. He felt so… selfish. He was so worried about his own feelings that he forgot about hers. He was so upset with Rose that he didn't realize how much he was hurting her. She only wanted to help him, she always did. It wasn't her fault and he made her feel sorry... He made her cry… It was HIS fault. Not hers or anyone else's, not even Lao Shi's.

He slowly approached her. "Rose… Please… Don't cry… I'm sorry. It was MY fault, not yours. I was wrong, not you. Please, stop crying…"

She looked at Jake. A second later she threw herself into him, wrapping her arms behind his neck and burying her face on his shoulder. "I promise… I will never hurt you like that ever again… I'm so sorry… I was a selfish jerk… I promise I'll change. I won't neglect my duties as the American Dragon anymore. I'll do it for you, as you did that for me…" Jake spoke softly as he caressed her hair.

They stayed that way for several minutes, until Rose stopped crying and lifted her head. Jake looked into her eyes and gently kissed her cheek in an apologetic way. "I didn't want to make you cry, Rose… I'm sorry for yelling at you… I'm sorry for making you break your heart. Please, forgive me…"

"It's ok Jake…" She tried to smile as she felt more tears coming, but she held them back. Jake wiped them away and continued to caress her.

They finally broke apart and Jake "made up" a handkerchief for Rose (after all, they were still on a dream). They stayed silent for a while, until Jake finally spoke.

"So… Uh… this means we are together again?" He asked, shyly.

"Oh. So now you want us to get back together?" She said in a mocking tone, but in a more playful way.

"But I thought that… that… I…"

"Of course we are, silly!" She said, giggling. She still loved when he got nervous and started to stutter.

"Awesome!" He cheered. "Uh… I mean… Yeah… Great!"

She smirked in response.

Then, Jake remembered something: "Rose, about the Homecoming ball, are you willing to accept my offer now? Please, let's go! It will be perfect, I promise!"

"Of course I will go with you Jake! I wouldn't go with anyone else" She smiled.

"YES! Mac Daddy Jake is back on the game!"

Rose chuckled. "So… What do you want to do now? I think we have one or two hours left before we wake up"

"Hmm… I don't know… Any ideas?"

"Well… Since this is our last dream date…. I thought that maybe we could do something really special, something that we will never be able to do in the real world" She thought for a minute. Then, an idea popped in her mind. "Jake, do you think you can turn me into a dragon?"

"Say what?" He was taken aback by her request. "What do you mean?"

"This is a dream. We can do or be whatever we want to. I can't do that myself because we are in your dream right now. So, do you think that you can turn me into a dragon?"

"Are you sure?" Jake asked a bit concerned.

"Yes. I am". She answered with a reassuring smile.

"Well… I will try. But… This means you will become a dragon when you…"

"Jake, I know the Dream Charm can do a lot of things, but it can't do miracles!" She said playfully. _"I wish it could though…"_

"OK. So… How do you want to look like?" Jake asked.

"Use your imagination, Jake. I trust you" Rose smiled. She was excited.

"Well… Alright. Here we go!" Jake said as he closed his eyes and started to imagine Rose as a dragon. He imagined her in a tall and slender body with pink scales and a white belly, her golden hair cascading around her shoulders, almost touching her large and gracious wings, but then turning into the spikes that ran all across her body and tail. Then, he imagined her warm blue eyes and tried to transfer all the traces from her beautiful human face to a dragon version of it.

When Jake opened his eyes, he realized that he was alone. "Rose? Where are you? Rose?" He was worried. He hoped that she hadn't woken up yet.

Then, he heard it: it was a distant sound that was getting closer and closer. Then, he finally was able to recognize Rose's voice. She was laughing. He never heard her so happy. It was like music to his ears. Her laugh was simply beautiful. Jake turned his head to where the voice was coming from…

There she was… As a dragon, just like he imagined her. She was flying across the sky with her eyes closed and a huge smile on her face. Jake smiled as he dragoned-up himself and went into Rose's direction. They started to fly together and play around. Laughs echoed all over the sky. They wanted that moment to last forever…

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**So... Looks like things are going to get a little better from now on. :D**

**There's a really nice drawing of Jake and Rose as dragons on Deviantart - It was that drawing that gave me the idea for their "last dream date". ****Just look for "Jake and Rose". It should be on the very first page.**

**Well... That was it I think. Until the next one!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	6. Back to Reality

**Sorry folks... It took me a bit longer to do this one because I actually didn't know what to write, since this one is more of a "rest" chapter. **

**Things are going to get slow for a while, but then it will get more interesting. ;)**

**ada69: OK. Don't worry. I'll try to keep up my current updates speed :D.  
Hmmm... I'm not sure yet. I don't have any ideas for parallel stories right now. If I come up with something, I'll write it.  
Now... A sequel? It will depend on how things turn out with this one. :)  
I have to really think about a new plot and etc... It might get boring if I don't do it well, you know?**

**Noble6: Great drawing, isn't it? :D  
It would be really nice to have that scene happening somehow in the actual show... :(  
Well... That's what fanfictions are for, right? XD  
In my view, Jake has what I call a "heart made of butter": he can act tough and stubborn, but when he saw Rose crying, it completely melted for her.**

**Well... Thank you all for your reviews! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. ****They belong to Disney. **

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**Chapter 6: Back to Reality**

Jake woke up when the alarm clock started to beep. "What? Awww man!" He sighed as he remembered his last dream date. _"Wow… What a night!" _He couldn't help but smile. It was just perfect: to fly with a dragon version of Rose was unbelievable; her laughter filled his mind with happiness. He couldn't wait to go to school and see her. "_Maybe I can convince her to do it again some other day"_ He thought as he got up from the bed.

"Good morning mom! Good morning dad! Good morning Haley!" His family heard him say. They were dumbstruck.

"Jakers? How come you are so happy today? Not that it's a bad thing but… Yesterday you seemed so upset" Jonathan asked a bit curious.

"It's just that… I had a wonderful dream" He said, feeling a bit awkward. He didn't want to tell his family that he was in a dream date, flying with a dragon version of his girlfriend. Let alone the fact that she almost slayed him because of a nightmare.

"Oh. Really?" Jonathan smiled "Could I know what it was about? I mean… It's alright if you don't want to tell me. Oh… Wait just a minute… It was about Rose, wasn't it son?" He said playfully while nudging him and winking.

"Well… Yeah. It was" He answered, feeling really embarrassed. He sat on the table and started to eat his breakfast.

"It's good to see that you are yourself again, sweetheart" Susan added. "Now, try to eat a bit faster or you will be late"

At Rose's room in the Huntslair…

"89, just check this out!"

"What are you…. Wow" They both started to laugh "I've got to shoot a photo of this!"

"No! This deserves a video!"

Rose was on the floor, trapped inside her blanket. Apparently, she had fallen off bed during the night. She was still asleep, but with a peaceful smile on her face. Her hair was in a complete mess.

She slowly opened her eyes as she saw the two boys standing at the door of her room with their cell phones in hand. _"What are these two doing here?" _Then, she felt something was wrong. She looked around and understood what was going on. _"Oh no!"_

She tried to get up as fast as she could, but she tripped over her blanket and ended up falling with a yelp. 88 and 89 just stared at the scene, before starting to laugh even harder.

"Please, tell me you filmed that! It's pure gold!" 89 said, trying to catch his breath.

"I did! I did! We have to post this on the internet!" 88 answered while Rose tried to free herself.

She was fuming. "GIVE ME THAT CELL PHONE RIGHT NOW!"

"Not a chance!" The two said before running off.

Rose screamed in anger before chasing after them. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU TWO!"

It took less than ten seconds for her to catch up with them. She tackled 88 into the ground, but he threw the cell phone to 89 before she could grab it.

"NO!" She got up and started to go after him. But before she could do anything else, the Huntsman showed up.

"What's the meaning of this? Huntsgirl! What do you think you are doing?" He asked angrily.

"Master… These two pests sneaked into my bedroom while I was sleeping and…"

"ENOUGH! I don't want excuses! I don't tolerate this kind of behavior!" He scolded her.

"But…"

"I said ENOUGH! Now go to your bedroom and prepare yourself for school!" He ordered her, with a sneering tone. The Huntsman still wondered why she would waste her precious time with such a useless institution. She was a member of the Huntsclan: she didn't need to know algebra to slay a dragon.

Rose mentally cursed the Huntsman and the two twerps, who were celebrating their 'victory'. She shot a "it's not over yet" glare at them, but they seemed to not care.

She got back to her room, slammed the door shut and sat on her bed. Rose groaned in frustration. Some minutes ago she was having the most wonderful dream she could ever wish for. Then, those two idiots just had to wake her up and remember her about the hell she lived in. _"Be strong, young one, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel" _Rose breathed in trying to calm herself down.

She decided that she wouldn't get angry because of them. She didn't care anymore. She got up and started to get ready to leave that awful place.

Later, at school…

"Hey guys!" Jake said cheerfully as he saw Trixie and Spud.

"Jakey? What's going on? I didn't see you happy like this in weeks!" Trixie asked.

"Yeah. It's like… suddenly all your dreams came true or something…" Spud added.

"You are not so far from it" Jake said. Then, he started to tell them about the last night: from discovering that it was his grandfather who told Rose to break up with him, to flying with a dragon version of her during their dream date. He hid the part where she had almost slayed him though, because he knew that Trixie didn't fully trust Rose yet and it could just make her even more suspicious...

"Wow! That's what I call a full night!" Spud commented.

"I'm happy for you Jakey! It seems like things are going to get better from now on!" Trixie congratulated her friend.

"I really hope so! I swear… She was so happy when we were flying together! It was amazing!"

"Jake!" they heard someone call him.

"Hey Rose" He said as he embraced her and they shared a quick "hello" kiss.

"Hey yourself" She gave her signature reply. "Hey Trixie! Hey Spud!"

"Hello Rose. How was your dream date with Jake?" Spud asked while Trixie simply waved back at her.

Rose blushed and her cheeks turned a little red. "Jake turned me into a dragon and we flew across the sky. It couldn't be more perfect" She answered shyly.

"You liked it?" Jake asked. She nodded in response with a smile.

Suddenly, the bell rang and everybody started to go to their respective classes.

"So… Do you think we could do it again some other day?"

"Jake… We can't. It's too dangerous…" Rose said sadly.

"Oh… C'mon Rose! Just once in a while won't hurt!" Jake pleaded, trying to pull his best puppy dog pout.

"We'll talk about that later, ok?" She said, kissing his cheek.

"OK" Then, they headed to their classrooms.

After many classes…

The bell rang again, signaling lunch time. Jake was exhausted. He packed his stuff and left to the cafeteria. In the way, he found Rose by her locker.

"Do you mind?" He asked her, offering his hand.

"Not at all" She smiled as they started to walk hand in hand. When they got to the cafeteria, they noticed that everybody was looking at them.

"Uh… Rose… Why is everyone staring at us?" Jake asked as he heard many whispers starting to circulate.

"Well… After our little 'soap opera' yesterday, it's not a surprise that everyone want to know if we got back together or not. I told you to be more discreet. Get used to it… We will be the number one topic this week"

"I personally don't care. Do you?"

"Nope" She answered.

They picked up their meal and continued to walk until they spotted Trixie and Spud. They sat down at the table while the gossip continued to run wild around them.

"Hey guys. Continuing our talk… What's the news?" Jake casually asked his friends.

"Jake! Rose! The whole school is talking about you two! I heard there were people betting if you would be together or not!" Trixie said.

"Yeah… We noticed it. Let them have their fun. It's not of our business. Next week they will be talking about someone else" Rose answered indifferent.

"So… This means you two are going to the Homecoming ball together?" Spud asked.

"Yes" Jake and Rose said I unison. They looked at each other and blushed.

"What about you two?" Rose asked, trying to mingle more with Jake's friends.

Spud and Trixie looked at each other. "Uh… We aren't… together like that, Rose" Spud said nervously.

"No. I meant: Who will you be taking?" She said with a raised eyebrow.

They sighed in relief and Jake chuckled at them.

"I'll ask Kyle Wilkins" Trixie said as she looked around the cafeteria and then locked her eyes on him. Kyle saw her and waved. She waved back and started to daydream. "Ahhhhh… Kyle…"

They all stared at Trixie for a second. "And I'll be asking Stacey" Spud finally said.

"What? Stacey Wintergrin? The cheerleader?" Rose wasn't expecting for that.

"Yeah. Spud have been trying to win her heart for months…" Jake told her. "C'mon Spud! She doesn't deserve you! She is snob and stuck-up! She doesn't even pay attention to you!"

"Don't worry Jake, I'm formulating a master plan that will change that…" He said as he started to wander off in his thoughts.

Rose looked at Jake with a confused expression. He just shrugged.

Later, outside the school…

Everybody was leaving after another hard day, but all of them were excited, because tomorrow night would be the Homecoming ball and there wouldn't be classes in the morning. Just a few students would come to help with the preparations, including Trixie and Spud, because they still had to ask Kyle and Stacey to go with them (they would come as well). Jake and Rose also would be there to help, but what they really wanted was to spend more time together…

"So… Dream date tonight?"

"Jake…"

"Please… What are the chances of you having the same nightmare?"

Rose didn't answer. She just dropped her head. Then, Jake finally got it.

"You are having that nightmare often, aren't you?" He asked, now really concerned.

She nodded.

"Sorry… I didn't know…" He spoke softly. He grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes. "Rose… If you have that nightmare again and wake up in the middle of the night, just call me, ok? I'll sleep with the cell phone in my pocket, just in case"

"No… You don't need to…"

"I just want to make sure you will be alright"

"Thank you" She said shyly.

"No problem babe! See you tomorrow!" He said with a cocky smile.

"Bye" She answered. _"How can he be such a jerk, but at the same time, so caring?"_ Rose watched him wave at her while riding backwards with his skateboard. "Jake! Look out!"

It was too late: He bumped into Principal Rotwood and had to endure his yelling afterwards. _"Oh well… That's why I love him" _Rose thought.

"Awww man!" Jake cried as Rotwood continued to scold him.

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**That was it for now. :)**

**I hope I didn't disappoint you with this one, but I need some quieter chapters to build up the tension :P **

**The Huntsman finally showed up! O.o And 88 and 89 are annoying as always - I hope I was able to capture their characters decently too ;)**

**From now on I'll make some little references to the actual "Homecoming" episode.  
Did you notice Spud talking about a "master plan" to win Stacey's heart? I think we all know where that will end up XD  
Another catch is that Jake and Rose are now the school's number one topic... ;)**

**And yeah. I'll make the Homecoming ball happen in the school itself. :)**

**Thanks for reading!**


	7. The Bracelets

**Well... Not much to say this time :)**

**Thanks for your reviews!**

****

**Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney. **

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**Chapter 7:**** The Bracelets**

Jake entered Canal Street Electronics with a confident smile, although he was a bit worried. He really didn't want to talk to his grandfather, but he wanted to show him that he would fully concentrate on his responsibilities from now on.

"Kid? You are early!" Fu was surprised.

"Yeah… I know… Where is Gramps? Let's get started with the old school training!" Jake said while cracking his knuckles.

"Uh… He isn't here yet. He went out to buy some stuff"

"What? Oh… Great…" Jake was really annoyed "Well… I'll wait" He sat on the couch and crossed his arms.

"So… What's the news?" Fu asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Well… Rose and I are together again; if that's what you want to know"

"Oh yeah… About that… Sorry about yesterday… I didn't want to make that potion… I really didn't like the idea, but Gramps forced me to do it" Fu apologized.

"Don't worry Fu, I know…" Jake said with a friendly smile. "It doesn't matter anymore. Everything is fine now"

"Phew… For a second I thought you still were mad at me"

"Nah. It's cool. But I'm still upset with Gramps for doing things behind my back. Really… He could just have talked to me before doing something like that. I mean… He just yells all the time… Maybe just a little calm conversation would have sorted that out. I can't remember the last time we actually just… talked…"

"Give the old man a little break, kid. He may not show, but he also has his fears. One of them is not make a good job training you. When you started to lose your focus because of Rose some weeks ago, he was desperate… And he ended up doing what he did"

"I see… I just wish he was a bit less… strict. I miss the old Gramps…. We used to be closer before this whole 'dragon business' started… I know he can get a bit rough from time to time, but… He is the best dragon master I could ever wish for" He added with sincerity.

"Oh… He would be so happy if he heard you saying that" Fu chuckled.

"Saying what, Fu?" As if on cue, Lao Shi entered the shop with some plastic bags. "Oh… Jake? You are already here? Good. Do you want to start with the dragon training?"

"For sure!" Jake said while getting up.

Some hours later…

Much to Lao Shi's delight, Jake was completely focused on his instructions. And to Jake's surprise, Lao Shi didn't yell even once during the whole day.

"Gramps! I did it!" Jake said cheerfully as he finally managed to use the new technique his grandfather taught him.

"Congratulations, young dragon! Let's try something a little more difficult now"

Lao Shi gave him the new instructions and after one or two hours, Jake already had mastered it.

"Grandson, I must say I'm really impressed with your dedication" He said with a smile. "I think it is enough for today. You may go home now, if you want."

"Awww… C'mon gramps! Let's train a bit more!"

Lao Shi sighed. "It's ok Jake, you don't need to prove yourself. I know you can do more, but you already learned a lot today. You deserve this little break after all you've been through"

"Say what?" Jake was confused.

"Grandson, I apologize for my actions concerning your relationship with Rose. I spent some time meditating yesterday and I realized I've done things the wrong way. I tried to break you two apart, but your love for her is unconditional." Lao Shi paused "I just hope you understand that I was trying to do what was best for you… But I was wrong. I can make mistakes too, Jake… We all do"

"It's ok Gramps" Jake wasn't upset anymore. His talk with Rose and then with Fu already made him understand why Lao Shi did those things. "Don't worry. It's all in the past now"

"Thanks, young dragon" Lao Shi replied with a smile. Then, he walked to the corner of the room and grabbed an object from a shelf. "Here" He said handing it to Jake. It was a small black box.

Jake opened it. Inside, he saw a Taijitu. Inspecting closer, Jake noticed that it was a bracelet. _"Wait… two bracelets?" _Each one was actually half of the symbol.

"What are these for?" He asked while manipulating the two objects.

"These are the bracelets your grandmother and I used to wear all the time when we were together" Lao Shi explained while memories flashed in front of his eyes. "It represented our love. We were like yin and yang… We couldn't live without each other… But then… She left me. I couldn't even look at them after it…" He trailed off. "But now… I'm giving them to you. When the time is right, I want you and Rose to wear them" He said with a sincere smile.

"Gramps… I can't accept. They are yours…"

"No. I insist. Consider it as an apologies gift. I'm trusting them to you"

"Thanks… Don't worry, we will take care of them" Jake answered

"Rose needs you Jake, more than you imagine" Lao Shi told him as he put a hand on his shoulder. "Always be there for her. She is strong, but I don't think she will be able to make it through by herself"

Jake was surprised: his grandfather was really worried about her. "I'll protect her with my life, and I plan to keep this promise!"

"_I just hope __it's enough…" _Lao Shi thought. He had a bad feeling on the back of his mind, as if someone was telling him that something was going to happen when they less expected…

"Gramps? Gramps? What's wrong?" Jake seemed to notice his grandfather's worried expression.

"Nothing, don't worry" And then he tried to change the subject: "What you said about me earlier… Is it true?"

"Huh? You mean… You were listening?" He asked feeling a little embarrassed.

Lao Shi nodded. "I arrived some minutes after you did, actually… So… You really meant it?"

"Well… Yeah. I did. I couldn't ask for a better dragon master, grandpa. Thanks for teaching me. I'm really honored to be your pupil" He said with a reassuring smile.

Lao Shi couldn't hold back his tears now. "And I thank you for listening to my teachings" he said as he hugged his grandson. "Sorry if I've been too strict with you. I'll try to be a little more easygoing"

"No problems G!"

"So… What if we have that 'little talk' you want so much now?" Lao Shi asked with a chuckle when they broke apart.

"Absolutely!"

3am, at Jake's house…

Jake woke up as he felt something vibrating inside his pocket. _"Rose!" _He reached for it and pulled out his cell phone. He looked at the caller ID. It was indeed her.

"Rose?" Jake whispered. He didn't want to wake up his family. There was no answer. "Rose, what's wrong?" He knew she was there. He could hear her uneasy breathing.

"J… Jake?" She finally said. She was whispering as well, but her voice was shaky. "Sorry… I didn't want to wake you up… But I needed to hear your voice…"

"Same nightmare?" Jake asked.

"No… It was worse… I… I slayed you… And then used the Aztec skulls to destroy all the magical creatures…"

"Don't worry… It's alright. Everything is ok. It was just a dream"

"It seemed so… real… What if they are not just dreams? I'm… scared…"

"Rose… That won't happen; you are not a bad person. It's all in your head" Jake was trying to find a way to comfort her. "You are having these nightmares because you are scared… They are just that: your fears. Don't let them control you"

"I… I will try…"

Jake sighed. He wanted to hug her and caress her to tell everything was alright. But he had to rely on words.

"I'll always be there for you Rose; you don't need to be scared"

"How great… now I feel like a damsel in distress…" She said, with a more playful tone.

"And I'm your dragon in golden armor… Err… wait… That isn't right…"

She imagined Jake in dragon form with armor and a sword, riding on a white horse. She quickly scrapped the idea. It definitely didn't feel right. Rose chuckled. No matter when or how, Jake always managed to cheer her up.

"Well… I don't need to worry about my nightmares anymore. You've just put an even worse one inside my head"

"Very funny… Now try to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be our day"

"Thanks for answering my call" She whispered softly.

"Everything for you, darling. Good night"

"Good night" She answered before hanging up.

Some minutes later, both teens were peacefully sleeping again, most likely dreaming about each other.

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**Thanks for reading! **

**Next chapter comes soon :)**


	8. Kissy Kisses and Surprises

**Update! **

**I hope you like it! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney. **

**

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**Chapter 8: ****Kissy-Kisses and Surprises**

It was Friday morning and the school was pretty much empty, except for a few people that were running back and forth in the gym with decorations, lights, banners and audio equipment.

"Yo! Spud! Be careful with that… uhhh… nevermind" Jake said as Spud dropped a particularly heavy speaker cabinet.

"Man… This is heavy" He said as he started to examine the damage. "Hmm… Do you think it has insurance?"

"I hope so…" Jake trailed off as he saw Rose trying to hang a banner on the wall. He started to walk towards her, while someone yelled at Spud because of the broken equipment.

"How is it going up there?" He asked.

"Pretty fine" Rose said as she jumped down from the ladder. "Do you think it's straight?"

"I think it is" He answered.

"No… It isn't" She sighed.

"C'mon Rose! Don't be paranoid! It's perfect like that!" Jake told her as he put his arms around her waist. "It doesn't have to be straight, you know?"

"I guess you are right" She said lovingly, looking at his eyes.

"Of course I am" he said and then kissed her.

"Now listen up you two! If you want to make out, at least do that in the kissy-kissy closet! Not everybody wants to watch this!" Trixie yelled as she was passing by with a box full of confetti and serpentines.

They broke apart. Everybody in the gym were smirking and pointing at them. Some had their hands together and were kissing the air. While Jake was just slightly embarrassed, Rose's cheeks were red as an apple.

"Uh… Jake? Can you please get my pencil case? It's inside my backpack" She said trying to change the subject.

"OK" He nodded. Jake found her backpack next to his. He opened it and started to look for the pencil case.

He grabbed it and was going to close the backpack when something caught his eye. _"What is this?" _He didn't like snooping Rose's belongings, but that could be serious. He remembered briefly seeing the object in Rose's hands two days ago, before she hid it from him. _"No way!" _He thought as he read the small letters on it. _"So this is why she looked so pale…"_

Jake looked around and saw her cheerfully talking to Courtney, one of her only friends. "_She seems so happy now…" _

Jake decided that he would wait until after the Homecoming to confront her about it. He hid the object inside his pocket, just to make sure Rose wouldn't do anything stupid with it.

"Did you find it?" She suddenly appeared by his side.

"Oh… Yeah. Here it is" He answered, handing the pencil case to her.

"Jake? What's wrong?" She asked concerned.

"Nothing… I just need some air. I'll be back in five minutes" He said before walking away. When he reached outside, he sighed. "_Rose… why didn't you tell me?" _

Jake reached for his pocket and grabbed the object. He opened it and put all its content on his hand. He used his dragon fire to destroy it all and then he blew the resulting dust, making it fly with the wind. He looked at the now empty object again, slowly shaking his head in disbelief. Then, Jake put it back into his pocket. _"Gramps was right… She just can't make it through by herself… Nobody would"_

Jake was cut off by screams. He looked around trying to know what was going on. Then, he saw Spud running into his direction, horror written all over his face.

"Jake! Jake! Oh my… I can't believe this happened! It's a disaster! It was an accident! I…"

"Spud! Calm down! What happened?" He said, shaking his friend's shoulders.

"I… I kissed Trixie!"

Minutes later…

"But… How that happened?" Jake was really confused. _"How could Trixie and Spud end up kissing each other in the kissy-kissy closet?"_

"I don't know… I left a note inside Stacey's notebook, went to the kissy-kissy closet and waited. Then, she entered. I though it was Stacey… But then it was too late…"

"Where's Trixie, by the way?"

"I don't know… she ran into the opposite direction…"

"Let's find her and get this straight"

They found Trixie in the gym, with Rose by her side comforting her. "Calm down Trixie, it was just an accident…" She noticed the two coming in. "Jake! Please… A little help here!" She whispered to him.

"Trix, stop crying… It's alright" Jake didn't know what to do. He couldn't just hug her like he would do with Rose. The last thing he wanted to do now was make his girlfriend jealous. And Trixie also could get the wrong idea.

Trixie wiped her tears and looked up. When her eyes met with Spud's, she dropped her head again.

"Uh… Trix, we need to talk" Spud said nervously.

"Oh! You bet we need!" Trixie said as she got up, grabbed Spud by the arm and stormed off, dragging him with her.

Jake and Rose just stared at the scene dumbfounded.

"Uh… Shouldn't we do something?" Rose asked

"Nah… We are friends for a long time. They will sort it out by themselves, don't worry" He said, looking back at her. "So… What do we do now?"

She grabbed her clipboard and ran her eyes through it. "Well… We still need to set up the confetti cannons, hang the serpentines, check the sound system, check the lights…"

Jake then gently took the clipboard away from her hands. "Or… We could do as Trixie said and go to the kissy-kissy closet" He said with a smirk.

"Jake! If we keep up like this, we will never finish the 'to do' list" She said, her cheeks slightly red.

"Two minutes won't hurt"

"Alright..." She paused. "What about five minutes instead?" She answered, winking.

"Absolutely!" He said as he held her hand and they started to run, laughing.

Ten minutes later…

"Hey, you said five minutes!" Jake said playfully as the couple returned to the gym.

"Is it my fault that you are such a good kisser?" She said. Jake's dragon form looked pale when compared to his cheeks now.

They noticed Trixie was back and working on the confetti cannons.

"Hey Trix… So… How did things turn out?" Jake asked, a bit uncertain.

"We… will go to the Homecoming ball together and see what happens" She said, not taking her eyes off her work.

"Say what? I mean… You and Spud…. It's totally cool… But what about Kyle?"

"Jakey, don't sweat it. I don't want to talk about it, alright?"

"OK… Where is Spud?" Then, they heard a loud pop.

"1, 2, 3. Sound… 7, 18, 167... Is this turned on?" Spud was on the stage, speaking into the microphone. Then, he went to the mixing table and messed around with the controls, producing a really loud and high pitched feedback. Everybody in the gym cringed and covered their ears while Spud frantically tried to stop it. "Uh… Sorry about that" He spoke into the microphone once again. This time, it seemed to be working as it should.

As the gym was almost ready, Sun Park appeared. "Alright people! You did a really good job! Thanks for helping! We will take care of it now. You may go home and prepare yourselves for tonight!"

Everyone cheered and started to pack their stuff. Jake said goodbye to Trixie and Spud, who left really quickly.

"So… See you tonight" Jake told Rose as they started to leave as well.

"Yeah. I just can't wait! I think I'll spend hours choosing a dress and putting make up!" She said, laughing. She felt like one of those girly girls.

"Well… You don't need to worry so much. You always look beautiful, no matter what you are using" Rose was tired of getting red all the time. It was definitely her color today.

"Will you just stop it? This way I'll end up in the grocery with the apples" She said playfully.

"What can I do if you are the most beautiful girl a guy could ever dream of?"

"So… You only like me because of my looks?" She asked with her hands on her hips, trying to sound serious, but it didn't work.

"Are you calling me superficial?" He said with a smirk. "Oh… I'm so hurt!" He said, gripping his heart. "You know it isn't just that"

"What else then?" She wanted to hear what Jake would answer. She thought he would get nervous and start to stutter again. She couldn't be more wrong…

"Let me see… You are sweet, cute, smart, caring, responsible, brave, loyal, strong minded… Do you want me to go on? Not to mention that fact that you are the only girl I know who can possibly whip my sorry dragon back" He said with a chuckle.

Rose was speechless. It took her one or two seconds to recover. Then, she could only smile in response. "Thanks" she said shyly.

"Hey, I'm just telling the truth! See you later babe" He said as he put his helmet on and gave her a quick kiss.

"See you" Rose watched as he left. She then looked around to make sure no one was around and squealed in happiness.

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**So... Do you think it's too cheesy?**

**One thing I only noticed now... What did happen to Courtney? (If that was her name - I just briefly remember seeing her in a few episodes) She just... disappeared in the 2nd season. Anyone has any idea? :P**

**Thanks for reading and for the reviews! :D**

**Cheers!**

**PS: The next one will have a little more action.**


	9. The Last Skull

**Here is chapter 9! :)**

**Rik and Hezpeller: Yeah. I left it out so I would leave you guessing what that "thing" is. :P  
I left some clues there and there though (especially on chapter 3).  
But don't worry... You'll eventually find out :)**

**Thank you all for your kind reviews!**

**Well... Here we go.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. **

**They belong to Disney. **

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**Chapter 9: The Last Skull**

"Gramps? Are you sure?"

"Yes, don't worry young dragon. We will compensate later. Today is your day. Prepare yourself for tonight" He smiled.

"Thanks G!" Jake couldn't believe it. Lao Shi had just allowed him to skip dragon training. For a moment he thought the world was going to fall apart.

"But promise me that tomorrow you will fully concentrate on training, ok?"

"But tomorrow is Saturday…" He trailed off as Gramps glared at him. "Errr… Sorry… It's just the habit. Alright. I promise"

"Good. Enjoy your dance with Rose, grandson. You two deserve some time with each other, without worries or secrets"

"Don't forget to take her to a corner and fill her face with kisses! A-goo-goo-goo" Fu joked.

"I'll surely remember that, Fu!" Jake said with a laugh. "Well, I will go home and get ready. See you tomorrow"

But then, he was cut off by his cell phone. He picked it up and saw that it was Rose.

"Hello? Rose? What's wrong?"

"Jake! The Huntsman found the last Aztec Skull! We are going to retrieve it right now! It's hidden inside a cave. I sent you a map with the location"

"Say what? But what about Homecoming?"

"I'm sorry Jake, it will have to wait. If we are fast enough, maybe we will be able to get the skull before it even starts!" She said frantically. "The Huntsman is coming! I have to go! Meet you there!" And she hung up.

"Kid, what happened?" Fu asked, worried.

"They found the last Aztec skull… C'mon!"

Later, somewhere in New York...

"Finally! At last we will be able to destroy all those disgusting magical creatures for once and for all!"

"Uh… Huntsman… Sorry to be a joykiller… But the dragons have two skulls! How are we going to…" 89 said, but was cut off by the Huntsmaster.

"Silence! And don't worry about it. I will formulate a plan to get the other skulls later" He paused with a severe expression. "Strangely, the American Dragon always seems to find the skulls at the same time we do. I'm starting to suspect that we have a traitor between us…"

"And he still has no clue about who that would be…" 88 whispered to 89.

"On the contrary… I think I know who the traitor is… Huntsgirl!"

Rose's blood froze. She almost fainted when she heard him yell her "name". She tried her best to hide the fear. She was glad that the mask was covering her face, because it was completely white. She was ready to start running for her life…

"If you know about something, you will come straight to me, do you understand? The Huntsclan doesn't tolerate betrayal. Whoever is the informant, I'll personally make sure he or she will have a long and painful punishment"

She mentally sighed in relief, but at the same time, the Huntsman's threat sent shivers down her spine. "Yes, master"

"Now, let's get that skull!"

"Not so fast Huntspunks!" They turned around to see the American Dragon, his master and the dog flying in their direction. He shot a large fireball at them.

The Huntsman barely dodged it and started to shoot green blasts from his staff. "Slay them!" He ordered the other Huntsclan members. 88 and 89 started to run and scream like cowards, as usual.

"Huntsgirl! Go and get the skull!" He yelled, ignoring the two.

"Yes, master!" She said before running into the cave.

"Oh no! You won't!" Jake said as he flew after her, barely avoiding a blast from someone's staff.

Inside the cave, everything was getting darker and darker. At one point, there was no light at all. Rose tripped over a rock and fell with a cry.

"Rose! Are you alright?" He landed next to her. He spit a bit of fire on his hand and used it as a torch.

"I think so…" Then, she winced in pain.

Jake approached the "torch" and saw that her outfit was ripped in her arm, where he found a really nasty gash. "Oh dear…"

"Why today?" She cried, looking at it. "Well… It doesn't matter. Let's get that skull and get the hell out of here"

"Alright. Where is it anyway?"

Rose turned on her staff as well. The green light made it a lot easier. They looked around for a couple of minutes and found it inside a hole in the wall of the cave. "Well… How are we going to take it out?" Jake asked.

Rose tried to pull it, but it seemed to be completely glued. "It's stuck…"

"Wait. Let me try" Jake used all his strength to pull it. It didn't even move. "Alright… Now you are going to get out of there!" He put his feet on the wall and started to pull it with his whole body. Finally, the wall started to crack and it came out.

"WHOA!" Jake fell to the ground and the skull was sent flying across the cave. They heard it hit the opposite wall and then it landed on the ground.

Jake got up and started to look for the skull… Or what was left of it. "What the… Rose? Isn't this thing made of crystal?" Jake was dumbstruck. It was intact. There wasn't single crack on it.

"Yes, but it is protected by a powerful spell" She explained as she picked the object from Jake's claw. "Ironic, isn't it? They only work when they are all together, but also only can be destroyed when they are all together…"

"You tell me…" Jake answered. "Well… Let's go. You take the skull"

"What? Jake! Are you crazy?"

"But Rose, if you don't take the skull to the Huntsman… He might… Punish you… What if he doesn't let you go to the Homecoming? What if he… Hurts you? I don't want that to happen…"

"I'm sorry Jake. I can't risk the safety of all the magical creatures because of a little ball…" She said sadly. "And I'll be alright, don't worry…"

"What difference it will make? He won't be able to use only 11 skulls… We already have two and they are safe at the shop"

"The difference is that I'll have to carry 11 crystal skulls while running for my life with the Huntsman on my heels... I'd rather carry 10 skulls instead" She said with a little chuckle.

Jake sighed. "OK… But be careful, alright?"

"I'll be fine, Jake. Don't worry" She gave him a warm smile and put her hand on his cheek. "Now… Let's go! Lao Shi is still fighting the Huntsclan out there!"

"Alright. Usual cover up plan?"

"Yes. On three. 1, 2…3!"

Meanwhile, outside…

"Give up dragon! Soon enough you and all the magical creatures will be destroyed! You are only delaying the unavoidable!" The Huntsman said with confidence.

"Not if it depends on us! C'mon Gramps! Let's get out of here! I've got it!" Jake said as he came out of the cave like a rocket, knocking out the Huntsclan members that were surrounding Lao Shi. He picked up Fu and they started to fly away.

"Your scum! Give me back the skull!" Rose came running out of the cave, firing her staff in (fake) rage. She screamed in frustration and dropped to her knees. "Disgusting creatures…"

"Huntsgirl…" The Huntsman approached her with a really angry face. "You disappointed me once again"

"But… Master… It was too dark… I didn't have any chance against his dragon eyes" She told him, showing him the injury on her arm.

"Excuses won't bring the skull back! I should forbid you to go to that 'Homecoming ball', so you learn how to do your job right!"

"Master… No… Please…I promise I'll not fail you again! Please! I need to go to that ball!" She looked into his cold and merciless eyes.

"Well… Since I'm such a nice and forgiving leader, I'll not punish you this time" He said, with a sarcastic and sneering tone. "You are dismissed now"

"Thanks master!" She said while bowing.

"But the next time you fail me… You will regret it" He threatened. "Now go, before I change my mind!"

Rose didn't think twice. She bowed again and used her staff to transport herself back to the Huntslair.

"Enjoy your little ball, Rose… It will be the last" The Huntsman said with a sinister gleam in his eyes.

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**Uh oh... What's going to happen now?**

**Sorry if it was too short. :P  
So... What do you think about it?**

**Thanks for reading! :D**


	10. Homecoming

**Thanks for the reviews folks!**

**Here is the new chapter! I hope you like it :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney. **

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Chapter 10: Homecoming

"_Where is she?" _Jake thought as he nervously looked at his watch. _"I hope she isn't in trouble…" _The ball was about to start and everybody was entering the school. He was really worried about her.

"Spud! Trix! Did you guys see Rose somewhere?" He asked as he saw his two friends approaching.

"Sorry Jake, we didn't. She must be coming now" Spud said. "Uh… Trix… Are you sure about this?"

"I don't know Spud… I'm feeling a little…. Awkward to be honest…" She answered.

"Yeah, me too… Well… Let's get in and see what happens"

"If you say so… We will meet you inside, Jakey. She will come, don't worry"

"I hope so…" Jake answered. Then, Trixie and Spud left him alone again.

Jake continued to wait, his worry growing at each passing minute. He was about to freak out, but then, he heard a voice behind him.

"Hey" There she was, with a warm smile on her face and wearing the same light blue dress from their dream.

"Hey yourself"

"Wait… That's my line!" Rose said playfully with her hands on her hips.

"What happened? I was starting to get really worried… I was afraid the Huntsman had done something with you…"

"Sorry… It took me a while to put the make up on… Besides, I had to do something with that wonderful gash in my arm…"

"How is it by the way?"

"Ah. It's gone. I somehow managed to find a healing potion in the Huntslair" She said, showing her now healed arm. "It stings a little but works really well" She added with a laugh.

"Good to know" Jake smiled and grabbed her hand. "C'mon. Let's have some fun, shall we?"

And they entered the school just looking at each other's eyes, not noticing two shadows lurking behind the parked cars…

"Alright everyone! Let's start the party!" Sun Park spoke cheerfully into the microphone and the DJ turned on the music. Everyone started to dance. The first songs were faster and more upbeat.

"So… Now that we got all the Aztec Skulls…"

"Jake… Not now. We are here just as Jake and Rose, remember?" She said, still dancing.

"Sorry… I forgot" Jake said as he spun Rose.

"You are still the same great dancer I remember you to be" Rose remarked.

"Right back at you, darling"

And they danced on and on. That moment brought back many memories from the time when neither of the two knew about each other's identities. They remembered their first dance together, when their love really started to grow. It was amazing how many things happened since then, but now they knew that it was true, it was real: their love survived through fire and flames, the fate tried to break them apart, but failed. The Dragon and the Slayer were finally together.

They just enjoyed the dance without exchanging many words afterwards. After some songs, they were exhausted. "Jake, I need a break" Rose said when a song stopped. They were breathing hard and starting to sweat.

Jake nodded. "Want some punch?"

"Yeah. My mouth is really dry" She answered.

Meanwhile…

"Spud… Are you feeling anything yet?" Trixie asked while dancing not really enthusiastically.

"You know what? I think I am… oh… wait… No… It was just an acid reflux acting up again…"

"Look… I'm sorry… But I think this isn't going to work out…" She said as she completely stopped dancing.

Spud stopped as well, sighed and looked deep into her eyes. "Trixie… There's something I need to tell you…" He paused.

There was a long silence afterwards…

"Friends and nothing more, right?" Trixie said, noticing the gleam in his eyes.

"Amen to that, sister" Both of them sighed in relief.

They hugged and then went to the punch bowl. They found Jake and Rose sitting on the bleacher next to it. They were cheerfully talking.

"Do you remember when we were rehearsing for Anthony and Cleopatra? That little bug showed up and we had to ask each other a five minutes break to fight for it! Then we came back all messed up and asked for more five!"

Rose laughed "Wow… I wonder how we didn't even suspect about it back then! The ironic part is that we never got to do that scene in the end"

"You tell me…" Jake grimaced as he remembered who he had to kiss in the play. Rose simply giggled in response.

"Rose! You came!" They saw Trixie and Spud coming into their direction.

She smiled and waved back at them.

"So… how is it going… errr… between you two?" Jake asked.

"Well… It just won't work. We are friends for life and friends for real. Nothing more than that" Trixie answered.

Jake nodded. "Well… Good to you, because Kyle is up there all by himself" He said, pointing towards the opposite bleacher.

"What? Oh my… Wait up honey! Trixie is coming!" She said before running into his direction.

All the friends chuckled at the scene. She talked to Kyle for two or three minutes and then they were on the dance floor. Trixie was all smiles.

"Where is Stacey anyway?" Spud asked.

"Well… she is… With Brad" Rose said with the smoothest tone she could pull off.

"Oh… Maybe next time…" Spud's face dropped a little.

"I'm sorry bro… There's anything I can do for you?" Jake asked, with a hand on his shoulder.

"Nah. I'll be alright" He answered with a little smile.

Rose felt a little bad for him. "Spud, do you want to dance one song with me?"

"It's alright Rose. You don't need to…"

"It's just for you to at least don't waste the night" She said with a sincere smile. "Jake, you don't mind, do you? You trust me, right?"

That caught him off guard. He looked into her eyes and hesitated a little.

Rose kissed him on the cheek. "He is your best friend… It's just one song, don't be jealous, ok?"

Jake was indeed feeling jealous, but her warm blue eyes looking deep into his calmed him a little. "I trust you"

Rose smiled again and took Spud to the dance floor.

Jake watched as they danced. He felt his jealousy starting to grow again, but then, he remembered about the last time he let it control him. _"I trust her… I trust her…" _He looked at them again. Rose was worriedly staring at him.

Jake gave her a reassuring smile in response. She did the same and continued dancing. He felt a bit stupid: _"Why am I so worried?" _Jake finally thought. All his jealousy was finally gone. He trusted her and promised himself that he always would.

"Thanks for the dance, Rose" Spud said some minutes later.

"You are welcome" She said before returning to Jake's side. "Hey jealous boy" She said mockingly.

"I wasn't jealous!" He snapped back.

"Oh yes, you were. I could see it in your eyes"

"Ok. I was just a little bit in the beginning" He admitted. "But not anymore. I trust you, Rose" He said, looking into her eyes.

"Yeah… right" She joked. She knew he was telling the truth, but she couldn't miss the opportunity to make him annoyed.

"Oh… Please! Don't tell me that you wouldn't be jealous if you saw me talking to another girl"

"Don't even think about it! If I find out that you are cheating me, you will be a dead dragon" She threatened him.

"Ha! You are jealous too!" He said victorious.

"No… I…" Rose's cheeks were completely red. He really got her this time. "Alright… You won…" She finally said.

Jake chuckled. "Do you want some ice cream?"

"You've just found out my weakness" She said with a laugh. "Yes, please"

He came back with two ice cream cartons. He handed her the strawberry flavored and kept the chocolate flavored for himself.

"I want the chocolate one!"

"As you wish" He said and then plunged a spoon full of ice cream into her mouth without warning.

"Hey!" she coughed and then licked her lips.

"Alright. Your turn" He said before opening his mouth and closing his eyes.

Rose mischievously grinned as she opened the carton…

"That's not funny!" Jake said while trying to clean off the ice cream from his nose. Rose was laughing so hard that she almost fell.

"Are you kidding me? It's hilarious!"

"I guess it's enough… Let's finish this before it starts melting, alright?"

Some time later…

"Now it's the moment all of you have been waiting for! The crowning of the Homecoming king and queen!"

All the music had stopped and everyone was looking at the stage, where Sun was standing with a little envelope in her hands. Expectations grew as she opened it and read the names.

"And the king and queen are… Jake and Rose!"

The couple wasn't paying much attention. She was leaning against his shoulder and they were looking at each other's eyes. Then, everyone turned around and started to cheer.

"What?" Both said in unison. It took Jake some seconds to understand what was going on. He looked at Sun who was motioning them to come. He saw the two crowns in her hands and realization dawned on him. "I can't believe this!" He dragged a confused Rose through the crowd until they finally reached the stage.

"Congratulations!" Sun told them as she put the crown on Jake's head.

"Oh my…" Rose was speechless.

"Wait…" Jake told Sun as he grabbed the other crown from her hands. He slowly turned around. A tear of happiness was slipping down Rose's face.

She lowered her head and closed her eyes while he gently placed the crown on her. He then put his hand on her cheek. "You are my queen Rose. You'll always be the only one, no matter what happens"

She threw herself into him and kissed him passionately. The confetti started to fly everywhere and the crowd started to cheer again, while Jake also closed his eyes and returned the kiss.

Everything was just perfect.

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**That was it for now.**

**Until the next chapter! :)**


	11. Romeo and Juliet

**Alright... This is the part where things will start to get interesting... :)**

**It's really late in the night/ early in the morning now, so I'll have to cut the chatter.**

**This is the last chapter I'll write before school starts again for me (on monday)... So... From now on it might take longer for me to update...  
Sorry... :(**

**Well... I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney. **

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**Chapter 11: ****Romeo and Juliet**

After the crowning of the king and queen, the ball continued, but now the slow and more romantic songs took over.

Jake and Rose just kept dancing and dancing. Nothing would ruin that moment. They were enjoying it so much that they didn't realize how fast the time passed…

"I hope you all enjoyed this wonderful night! I wish you all a happy Homecoming!" Sun spoke into the microphone, ending the event.

Everyone started to clap their hands and cheer as the lights were turned on. Some started to leave and others were chatting. But something suddenly caught everyone's eyes…

Jake and Rose continued to dance, even though there was no music at all. It seemed like they didn't realize it was over or they just didn't want to stop.

"Jake? Rose?" Sun called them, but there was no answer. She simply smiled and turned to the DJ, who was just starting to turn off the equipment. "Do you think you can give them one last song?"

He started to mumble, but then looked at the two lovers and just couldn't help but do as she said. Sun turned off the lights again, leaving only the special colored spotlights.

Everyone watched as the two danced with their eyes closed. When the lyrics came up, they sent shivers down Rose's spine. That song was all about her… She silently started to sing along, even though she never heard it before: Every word seemed to magically pop into her head as she heard the beautiful melody. "Help me to repay the things I have done wrong… Help me find a way to get where I belong…" It was giving her goose bumps.

And when the song started to build up and reach the final part, Rose's body became tense. The melody suddenly turned into what sounded to her like cries of pain. "_My pain…" _she thought. She continued to dance until she heard the final chord. It was magic… It seemed to finish the song, but at the same time, gave her the feeling that there were more things to come. Then, her body simply stopped moving. She opened her eyes, looked into Jake's and hugged him.

"Thanks for the night, Jake… It was perfect"

All who were watching, including Sun and the DJ, started to clap their hands again.

Minutes later, outside…

"Rose… Come with me" Jake said as they left the building and started to walk away. They got into an alley and Jake turned into dragon. "Hop on" He said as he lowered himself.

"I… can't… What if someone sees us?"

"They won't. Please, trust me… I want to show you something"

She hesitated, but then slowly climbed on his back and gently put her arms around his neck.

"Hang tight" He said as he leaped into the air. At first, she shut her eyes and tightened her grip on Jake as she felt they were going higher and higher.

"Don't worry Rose, I'll not let you fall" Jake told her.

Then, she gradually started to open her eyes.

"Wow!" That was all she could say as she looked down. They were flying above the clouds and they could see all the length of New York, until it touched the ocean, that disappeared into the horizon. The moon was high in the sky and its reflex could be seen on the water.

"Beautiful, isn't it? When I feel too sad or stressed, I usually just dragon-up and fly as high as I can. It makes all my problems go away for a while" Jake said while smoothly flapping his wings. "It remembers me about how beautiful the world is… It makes me realize that things always could be worse then they are…"

Rose simply closed her eyes again as she enjoyed the wind blowing against her face and through her hair. "It feels amazing!"

"Yeah, it does" He said with a smile. "You know… Even though being the American Dragon sometimes can be really hard… It does have its advantages"

Rose smiled in response and rested her head on the back of his neck. They continued to fly for a while, until Jake spotted the Central Park. He looked for a safe and well hidden place to land and started to descend.

He landed between four huge trees, waited until Rose got off him and changed back to human.

"Don't worry. Nobody could see us at that height" Jake said, trying to comfort her.

"I'm not even worried about that anymore, to be honest" She said as they sat on a bench.

Jake cuddled her in his arms and they started to look into the sky.

Some minutes later, they saw a shooting star cross the sky. "Look! Close your eyes and make a wish" Jake said and did so. But then, he felt something was off. He looked at Rose and saw that tears were sliding down her face.

"Rose… What's wrong?"

"I wish I could have a normal life… That's all I ever wanted…"

"Rose…"

"I'm sick of this… I can't take it anymore… It's getting harder and harder for me to keep track of who I really am. I'm having troubles to keep my Huntsgirl persona… I just can't do it anymore… Everytime I use that mask to hide my face, I feel like a monster… like a coward. I'm faltering… I can't talk in that cold tone I used to… It scares me… Not only that… I'm sick of the Huntsclan. You don't know how it's like to be surrounded by people who don't care about you… To hear them talking everyday about how magical creatures are disgusting and how they hate them… To be surrounded by the enemy, always with the fear of being discovered… To do things that you know that are wrong because you have no other choice…" She paused and looked at the moon. "Jake… Some days ago we were stealing gold from leprechauns… I was praying for you to show up and stop us…. But you didn't… I had to keep acting… The Huntsman ordered me to steal everything… The look on the leprechaun's faces, Jake… They were begging me to don't do it… And I just couldn't… But he threatened me and I had to… It shattered my heart… After we took everything away from them… I tried to discreetly apologize… But… They didn't believe me… They… They called me a two-faced, cold-hearted witch… I begged them to stop… But they kept yelling it at my face… I just… Ran away and cried.

"They didn't know Rose… They didn't mean it"

"But it's true! They are right… I really am a two-faced witch! I steal all their gold and then try to apologize? I try to do good things as Rose but then I do bad things as Huntsgirl? Look what I'm turning into! What am I? A villain who is trying to be a hero? A coward who can't stand up for my own beliefs? I hate myself! I hate my life!"

"Rose… No… You are a good person… It wasn't your fault… The Huntsman made you do that…"

"I could have just said 'no' and not do it. But I was too afraid…"

"You still had to keep yourself undercover… You did what was necessary… Look… Now that we have all the skulls, I think it's time for you to leave the Huntsclan… For good"

"But… I don't have anywhere to go…" She paused. "I don't have anyone…"

"Rose… That's not true. You have me… You have Gramps… Trixie, Spud, Fu… We all care about you… You can stay with us… You said the Huntsman took you away from your parents… I will help you to find them. We all will"

"No! He will go after me… He will hurt all the people I care about! I can't put you or your friends and family into danger like that! Let alone my own family… They probably think I'm dead. It will best if I just go away and never see anyone ever again… You can't help me... I'm marked… This curse will follow me to my grave…" She closed her eyes. "Although death is really appealing to me right now…"

"Rose! Don't ever say that again! I'll always be there for you, no matter what! We will protect you! The Huntsman will not hurt anyone!"

"It's not just that Jake… I spent all my life doing things that were wrong. Even if I leave the Huntsclan, what I've done won't be erased. I'll always be remembered as Huntsgirl, the two-faced ninja she-witch… I don't want that! I only wanted to be Rose… Just Rose… Nothing else…"

"It doesn't matter anymore… You changed. Everything is on the past now… Please, stop thinking about that…"

"Yes, it matters! I need to redeem myself! I need to do something to repay the things I have done wrong! I thought helping you to retrieve the Aztec skulls would be enough… But it isn't! I'm still feeling guilty!"

"You don't need to prove yourself! You are getting sick because of it!"

"What are you talking about?"

Jake answered by pulling something from his pocket. It was an empty medicine bottle. "You are too young to take antidepressants, Rose! This is not the solution! It just makes everything worse! For how long have you being doing this?"

"Where did you find it?"

"Rose… Why you didn't tell me?"

She sighed. "I started to take them back on the academy… I had never felt so lonely in my whole life… I stopped for a while after you helped me to get out of there… But then… Things just kept getting worse… The Huntsman was always testing me… It was too much pressure and I had to start again or else I would go insane…" She paused. "It always makes me feel sick… The side effects are terrible… But it is the only thing that works… It eases my pain…" She said as she snatched the bottle from Jake. "Wait! This bottle was full!"

"I destroyed it all"

"WHAT? Jake, how could you?"

"You don't need this! You don't need meds to be happy… All you need is to trust me! Please Rose… We will find a way…"

"Jake! I tried to think about all the possible solutions! There's no way out! I'm doomed! I will not make it through!" Rose was desperate. "Even if I escape the Huntsman's wrath, I will have to face the Dragon Council!"

"Everything is going to be alright… They know you are on our side…"

"How can you be so stupid? Nothing is going to be alright! I'm trapped! The entire world is against me… Why did you have to show me the truth, Jake? Why didn't you just let me die on that avalanche? This is all your fault! I… I hate you!" She said as she slapped him on the face really hard.

Jake then looked back at her with a shocked expression. Rose then realized what she had just said and done. She widened her eyes and put a hand over her mouth. "Jake… No… I'm sorry… I… I… didn't mean to…" Rose was on the merge of tears. _"Not again" _She thought. She tried to hold them back. She didn't want to break down in front of Jake again.

But then, Jake simply hugged her and started to caress her hair, like he did last time. She couldn't hold back anymore. She was feeling miserable. The Huntsman never tolerated crying. He always told her it was a sign of weakness… _"Stop crying right now or else I will give you real reasons to cry about!" _His voice echoed in her mind.

"Don't hold anything back… Just let it all get out" Jake said softly and tightened his grip on her. "There's nothing wrong in crying. Just let everything go away"

Rose, in response, started to sob uncontrollably. Jake felt her hand grasp his shirt and he put his own over it, while still caressing her with the other. Jake had never seen her crying like that. He understood that all the bad things that happened to her, all her frustrations, her fears, her sadness… Everything that was building up inside her for her whole life, everything that was trapped inside her heart and tearing it apart was finally exploding out of her like a volcano.

"I want a family… I want a real life!" She screamed between her sobs. Years of lies, training and brainwashing had done that to her. The Huntsman had hardened her outside, but Jake knew that deep inside she was just a confused and scared girl trying to find a meaning for her life. The same brave and strong minded Rose who Jake always knew and loved was now in his arms crying for her life. Jake wanted to say something to comfort her, but he decided to wait until she calmed down.

She cried for almost 15 minutes until her sobs finally started to subside. The hand that was gripping Jake's shirt finally relaxed and her cry now was reduced to whimpers. After more one or two minutes, she finally calmed down.

She let go of him and looked down sheepishly. "I did it again, didn't I? I broke down in front of you again…"

"It's alright. Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah…" Rose said with a nod and a little smile. "Sorry about… you know… I… I don't hate you… My mind was too confused. I didn't mean to do that…" She paused and looked into his eyes. "Thanks Jake… For everything… I… I…" She hesitated.

"Just tell me…"

"I love you" She finally said "From deep inside my heart… I love you"

Jake's soul brightened up in happiness. He wanted to hear her saying those three words for a long time. _"She loves me" _But then, he stopped dead in his tracks. Did he love her back? He wondered about it for some seconds… In the beginning it was just as a crush… but then it started to grow and grow… It wasn't just a crush anymore; he knew it was a lot more than that…

"I love you too" He said with the most pure and sincere tone.

"I know" she answered with a smile. "I know you do"

The couple cuddled together and started to stare at the sky again.

"Jake… I'm worried…"

"Why?"

"It's just that… The more I think of it… More I realize we are so much like Romeo and Juliet… I mean… two persons who are born to be enemies but end up falling in love… it scares me…"

"Well? Isn't that a good thing?"

"What? Jake, do you know how the play ends?" Rose said, looking at Jake with a confused expression.

"I mean… doesn't all the fairy tales end with '_And They Lived_ Happily Ever After'?"

Rose would laugh at the gaffe, if it wasn't for the seriousness of the situation. "Jake! Romeo and Juliet is not a fairy tale! It's a tragedy! Juliet fakes her death, but Romeo really thinks she died. He kills himself with poison and when Juliet finds out, she stabs herself with his dagger!"

"WHAT? That's how it ends?"

Rose just nodded in response.

"Awww man! That's definitely the worst play ever!"

Rose couldn't help but chuckle a little. Then, Jake held her hands.

"It won't happen, Rose. I promise. Everything will end well"

Rose knew that he just couldn't keep that promise. It was beyond his or her hands. But the sincerity in his voice and the glint in his eyes comforted her. She smiled and they returned their attention to the stars. Maybe they could have their "happily ever after" in the end…

Rose felt something suddenly flow into her soul and lighten it up, scaring away all the fear and worry: Hope.

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**Poor Rose... she has no idea about what is about to happen...**

**Thanks for reading and for the reviews! You are awesome!**

**The song mentioned in this story is called "Get Where I Belong", by Free. :)**

**Cheers!**


	12. From Heaven to Hell

**Hello folks! ****I managed to write this yesterday, but I needed to make some tweaks... So I'm updating it today. :)**

**Hezpeller: I'm glad you liked it! :)  
Well... School certainly won't stop me. XD  
****I hope you like this one too. A little more action, comedy and suspense this time.**

**Noble6: I'm bad with her, ain't I?  
I hope you like the chapter! ^^**

**Onej6: Thanks! I hope you enjoy this one too! :)**

**Fudogg: Thank you!  
I hope you like the new chapter! :)**

**ada69: Wow! I'm really glad you liked it that much. And don't worry, I'll keep uploading at least... three times or more a week I think? I don't know - XD.  
Hmmm... I would tell you... But I don't want to spoil it - XD  
Anyway: I hope you like the chapter! :)**

**StrayBullet69: Oh. Sorry about that (XD). But I needed the "slower" chapters to build up the tension for this one (Looks like it worked! - lol - just kidding).  
Anyway, I hope this chapter satisfies you! ;) **

**Phew... Maybe I should start using messages to answer the reviews? - lol**

**Hope you all like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney.**

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Chapter 12: From Heaven to Hell

"Jake... call Lao Shi and tell him to be ready. I'll go to the Huntslair and get the skulls" Rose suddenly said, still not taking her eyes off the sky.

"What? You mean NOW? Are you sure?"

"The Huntsman said he is planning a way of getting the other skulls. We can't push our luck and wait more. We have to be fast and make our move now"

Jake had a bad feeling about this. But then, he thought about it for a minute and agreed with her.

"You are right" He said, getting up. "But, please, be careful"

"I'll call you if I get into trouble" She answered as she also got up

"Alright. Let's do this!"

Rose gave him a confident smile. "Wish me good luck!" She turned around, took off her huntstaff from apparently nowhere and started to teleport herself.

Jake closed his eyes as the blinding green light flashed where Rose was standing. A second later, she was gone. _"I still wonder how she can hide that thing…" _He thought to himself with a chuckle.

He was starting to dragon-up and leave as well when he heard something. "Ear of the dragon" He said and tried to find out from where the voices were coming.

"Yo! I can't believe Romeo and Juliet ends like that! Hey… Wait a minute… Are you crying?"

"No… I have dust in my eye! You are the one who is crying!"

"I'm not!"

"Yes, you are!"

Jake froze. _"88 and 89? Oh no…" _He turned into dragon and started to walk towards the bushes from where he heard their voices.

In a fast movement, jake slashed the poor plants, leaving the two trainees without their cover. _"What the…?"_

The two clumsy boys were hugging each other and crying like babies. They didn't even notice Jake in dragon form staring at them with his mouth wide open.

"It's so… sad! She only wants a normal life!"

"The Huntsman took her away from her parents? How could he do something like that?"

"So we are the bad guys? I don't want to be a villain! I just wanted to be an awesome Huntsdude!"

"Didn't you hear them? The Huntsclan are the bad guys! Face it! We are on the wrong side!"

"_They were spying us!" _Jake was furious. He roared with anger as smoke came off from his nose.

"Uh… 88? 88? It's the… The… Dra… Drag… Dra…"

"What are you talking a…" 88 trailed off as he saw the furious dragon with its face a few inches from his.

"AAAAHHHHHH!" They screamed in terror and tried to run away, but Jake had already grabbed them by their clothes.

"Oh no! You are not getting away!" Jake roared as he lifted the two trainees into the air by their collars. "What are you two doing here?"

"Please! Don't hurt us! I beg you! We will switch sides! We don't want to be the bad guys!" 88 pleaded him.

"Yeah! We don't want to be part of the Huntsclan anymore! Please, don't toast us!" 89 added while trying to look away from his fierce eyes.

"ANSWER… MY… QUESTION!" Jake was losing his patience.

"The Huntsman ordered us to follow Rose and shoot photos of your human identity! Don't worry! We won't show them to him! I promise! Now, please, let us go! We don't want to die! Please! Have mercy!" 89 said and they started to cry again.

"What did you just say?" Jake was terrified.

"He said we won't show the photos to the Huntsman…" 88 tried to speak, but was cut off by the dragon.

"NO! Before that!"

"I said that the Huntsman ordered us to follow Rose and shoot photos of your human identity! Are you happy now? Please! Let us go! We won't bother you ever again!"

Shivers went down Jake's spine. "What? You mean he knows?"

"Knows what?"

Jake pulled the two idiots closer to his face as he let a ball of fire escape his mouth, almost burning them. "DOES HE KNOW ROSE SWITCHED SIDES?"

"He does! He does! He told us he would personally take care of her when she…"

"Rose… oh no…" He finally dropped them and put both his hands over his face in horror.

88 and 89 used the chance to try to run away, but Jake blocked them again. "NO! Wait! Were you two serious when you said you wanted to switch sides?"

"We… We…"

"Just say yes or no!"

"Yes!" They cried and hugged each other in fear.

"We won't show the photos to the Huntsman! We will… We will say that we… Uh… Forgot to take off the cap from the camera?" 89 said nervously.

"Your idiot! Do you think he will swallow this?" 88 asked him.

"He has to…"

"Why?"

"I forgot to take off the cap from the camera" 89 was holding the camera with the cap still on it.

Jake ignored them. "Please, listen to me! Rose went back to the Huntslair to get the skulls! You have to reach her before the Huntsman does! Do you understand? Please! Go! Now! She might be running into a trap! I'll try to call her!"

"Yes, sir!" The two boys saluted him and started to run.

"Idiots! Use the staffs to teleport yourselves!"

"We can't! We forgot ours in the Huntslair!" 88 shouted from distance.

Jake face palmed as he heard this _"I wonder if it's really a good thing that they switched sides…"_

He turned back to human, grabbed his cell phone and frantically dialed Rose's number.

"I'm sorry, this number is currently turned off" He heard the recorded voice speak.

"Awwww man!"

Meanwhile, at Canal Street Electronics…

Lao Shi had fallen asleep in the couch with Fu dog by his side.

Suddenly, they heard someone's cell phone start to ring.

"Aiya… Who could it be at this hour? Fu, answer it"

Fu sleepily mumbled some random words as he pulled the cell phone from his folds. He looked at the caller ID and handed it to Lao Shi. "It's Jake"

He silently started to ramble in Chinese. "Jake! You'd better have a good reason to call me at this hour!"

"It's an emergency gramps!"

The tone of his grandson made him stay fully alert. "What happened?"

"Rose's cover is blown!"

"WHAT? Where is she now?"

"She went to get the skulls! I tried to call her but her cell phone is turned off! What if the Huntsman set up a trap for her?"

Lao shi froze in shock and dropped the cell phone.

"Gramps? Gramps?"

He quickly recovered and picked it up again.

"Jake, come here at once! I'll call the others!"

At the Huntslair…

Rose had changed into more stealthy clothes (brown shirt and pants, black leather jacket and boots, completed with a pair of black gloves) and her hair was now pulled back into the trademark braid.

She looked around her bedroom. "I have to destroy everything that might lead them to Jake…" She said as she started to go back and forth picking up stuff like her diary, any kind of messages or notes and putting them into a pile. Rose then opened her closet. She saw many "Huntsgirl" outfits, masks and other accessories. She stared at them for a minute and then threw them on the pile with a look of disgust in her face. "Never, ever again…"

After a while, something caught her eye. It was a photo of her with Jake. She hesitated a little, then closed her eyes and removed it from the frame. _"I will have many more of these later"_

Rose looked around for the last time to make sure she didn't forget anything. Finally, she grabbed a match box from somewhere and used it to put the pile on fire. She looked at the wall to make sure she had really "turned off" the fire alarm of her bedroom.

She watched as the fire started to consume the photo and the other objects before turning around and quickly leaving the room. She locked the door and started to walk downstairs.

"_The Huntsman must be sleeping by now" _Rose walked on her tiptoes until she reached the shelves with the ten crystal skulls. _"Well… Here we go" _

She was breathing hard and her heart was racing as she put the skulls inside a sack. She felt her hands starting to shake in nervousness and almost dropped one of them. Rose was sweating. She had to get out of there as fast as she could.

Finally, she closed the sack and put it on her back before walking to the exit.

"Well, well… What do we have here?" Rose heard the Huntsman say from somewhere. She widened her eyes and started to run, but then she abruptly stopped.

To her horror, she saw the Huntsman blocking the only way out, with his cold eyes staring at her with flaming fury. "Huntsgirl, I'm really impressed with your excitement to fulfill your destiny! You can't even wait for us to prepare everything for the ritual!"

Rose started to back away while the Huntsman advanced towards her. She didn't say a single word.

"But… There is a little problem my dear… We need all the 13 skulls to make it work. And the dragons have three of them!" He paused while he put a hand on his chin, pretending to be thinking. "Oh! Wait a minute… You found out where the skulls are hidden, didn't you?"

Rose heard more footsteps. She looked around and realized she was surrounded by Huntsclan members.

"Well done _Rose_! Now we finally will be able to destroy all the magical creatures for once and for all!" He paused as she stood in a defensive position. "Including… Your beloved American Dragon…"

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**Cliffhanger! **

**What do you think about it? :P**

**Cheers!**


	13. Betrayal

**Alright! Here is the new chapter!**

**I hope you all enjoy it. :)**

**Thanks for the reviews, once again!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney.**

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**Chapter 13: Betrayal**

"C'mon Rose! Answer!" Jake said as he kept dialing her number over and over again, but her cell phone was still turned off. "How could I let her go alone like that?" He groaned as he buried his head in his hands.

He was now sitting on a couch at Canal Street Electronics. Lao Shi was walking around in circles trying to calm down and think about a solution for that situation. Sun, Trixie, Spud and Fu were there too.

"Calm down Jakey… Remember: she is still the Huntsgirl. She can take care of herself" Trixie said, trying to calm him down.

"I know… But what if the Huntsman captured her? I need to know if she is alright!" Jake said, getting up.

"This is really serious… Not only Rose's safety is at risk… But also the whole magical community's" Lao Shi said with a severe expression. "If the Huntsman really found out about her being a double agent, he might use her to get the three last skulls"

"Do you really think she would tell him where they are?" Sun asked, really worried.

"There are many ways of making someone talk… And I'm afraid the Huntsman will use all the possible methods to break her…" Lao Shi answered. Jake almost freaked out just with the thought.

"Gramps! We can't just stay here and wait! We have to do something! I can't let them hurt her!"

"I'm sorry grandson… There's nothing we can do now. We can only wait and hope for the best" Lao Shi said with grief.

Jake couldn't believe his ears. He yelled in frustration, but then he controlled himself and sat down on the couch again before doing anything he could regret later.

"Rose… Please… Be ok…"

Meanwhile, at the Huntslair…

"HIYA!" Rose was doing her best to fight off the Huntsclan members that were throwing themselves at her. She made a back flip, landed on someone's back, kicked a man's stomach and punched the face of another one. She had taken down many of them before she ducked and tried to pick up a staff that was on the floor.

Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough: someone grabbed her by the braid and pulled really hard. Rose cried in pain and a second later she felt someone's fist hit her face. She fell to the ground, dazed. _"There are too many of them…"_ Before Rose could get up, two Huntsclan members held her arms. She tried to free herself, but it was no use. It was over…

"I'm really impressed, Huntsgirl. You were able to fight them off for about five minutes. I really trained you well" The Huntsman calmly said as he approached his former apprentice and snatched the sack with the skulls out of her hands. "Of all the Huntsclan members, I would never expect you, my best skilled and most talented student, to betray me… It's really a shame… You could've become the best. You could've taken my place as the leader of the clan… But you chose that filthy dragon instead… What a pity…"

"I would never turn into someone like you!" Rose snapped back, her voice full of hatred. "I never chose this for my life!"

"It's your destiny! You have the mark of the Huntsclan! You don't have a choice! You are destined for great things!" He yelled back at her.

"Great things? I don't want to be a cold-blooded murder! This mark means nothing to me!" She tried to free herself once again, only to make the two men tighten their grip on her arms. The sudden pain made her cringe. "How did you find out?"

"Do you think I'm stupid, Huntsgirl? Do you really think you could fool me that easily?" He said as he turned around and started to walk towards a projector. He pressed some buttons and a image of Rose standing on a "slain" dragon appeared. "Do you really think I wouldn't recognize the dragon you supposedly slayed as the American Dragon?" He paused as he looked at her.

Rose dropped her head.

"I was so proud of you… I thought you finally were going to make your way through and become a master yourself… But then… The body simply disappeared… And what was my surprise to fight the American Dragon a couple of weeks later? I knew something was wrong… At first I thought he just used some kind of trick to fool us and get away unharmed. The explanation came when I heard one of the instructors of the academy tell me two students accidentally prepared a potion that could make a dragon appear to be dead… apparently, it wasn't just an accident. Well… Even though the dragon wasn't dead, I thought you believed you really had slain him, so I let you come back with me to New York" The Huntsman paused again and turned off the projector. "But something else was wrong… You had changed. You weren't the same Huntsgirl I remembered you to be… You seemed to be… Holding back. When 88 and 89 came to me and told me that they saw you fighting alongside the American Dragon… I started to suspect you really switched sides, but I didn't have a proof… So, I asked you to give me the pelt of the dragon you slayed"

"But I gave you the pelt!" Rose said while she looked up into the Huntsman's eyes again.

"Exactly. You gave me the pelt… of a dragon that wasn't dead at all. Don't you think that sounds weird?"

Rose widened her eyes as she started to understand what really happened…

"If you came back to me without it, that would mean you didn't know anything… But by giving me the pelt, you ended up proving your betrayal instead. I knew the American Dragon was passing through his molting cycle back then… I hated to admit it, but I had to accept the fact that you two made an alliance…"

Rose was dumbstruck. She fell for it like a naïve little child. "Then why didn't you just finish me off?"

The Huntsman smirked at her shocked expression. "Because the dragons already had one of the skulls at that point and I didn't know where they were hiding it… But you knew it. So I thought: Why should I put myself into so much trouble when I can just wait until all the skulls are retrieved and get all of them in just one move?"

"_He was just using me again?" _Rose's blood started to boil. Everything she had done until then, all her fears of being discovered… She was driving herself insane for nothing: He always knew it… "And what makes you think I will just tell you where they are?"

"Huntsgirl… Be reasonable! He doesn't care about you! Dragons don't have feelings! He is just using you to get the skulls! He will just destroy you as soon as you hand them to him!" The Huntsman paused and put a hand under her chin. "I'm giving you a last chance to regret your actions and do the right thing. Please, Huntsgirl… You are like a daughter to me…"

"What? HE is using me? Don't you realize how hypocrital that sounds?" Rose snapped back and jerked her head out of his hand. Now he was trying to make her turn against Jake? "I'll NEVER betray him!"

The Huntsman sighed. "I don't know what that dragon did to you… But he is going to pay…"

Suddenly, they all heard two persons running into the Huntslair. "Rose! Rose! No! It's a trap! It's a tra…"

88 and 89 stopped dead in their tracks when they realized they arrived too late. They nervously looked at each other as the Huntsman advanced towards them.

"It's a tra… traitor! Huntsgirl! How could you?" 88 said, trying to cover up his last words.

"Yeah! How could you betray us?" 89 added, following his lead.

"88… 89… I was waiting for you! Did you do as I said and shoot photos of the American Dragon's human identity?" The Huntsman asked with an impatient tone.

Rose paled. _"No! They can't know Jake is the American Dragon!" _She started to struggle to break free from the two men again. She was jerking her body forward, kicking and elbowing, but they seemed to be made of steel. "NO!"

"Well… Yeah… but…" 89 was cut off by the Huntsman, who simply snatched the camera out of his hands. He started to analyze the "photos".

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Well… We kind of… Forgot to take off the cap from the camera…"

"IDIOTS!" He yelled and threw the camera into the ground, destroying it. The two trainees screamed like little girls and hugged each other. But then, the Huntsman ignored them and turned back to Rose, who was sighing in relief. "I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no other choice…"

"Go ahead! You can torture me as long as you want! You won't make me talk!" She yelled, her voice full of determination.

"No my dear… As much as I would love to make you suffer because of your betrayal, we don't have that much time" He said coldly.

"_First… He tells me I'm like a daughter to him and then a second later he wants to make me suffer…" _She sadly thought for a second. "_What a father…"_

"So, Rose… Did I ever tell you what happened to your parents?"

"No, but I know! I know you lied to me! They didn't die! You took me away from them!"

"How did you…" The Huntsman was caught off guard. How could she know? "Oh well… It doesn't matter…" He paused and looked into her furious eyes. "I'll make a proposal for you… You tell me where the dragons are hiding the skulls and I will tell you where your parents live"

"And what if I don't tell you?"

"Then THEY will pay for your betrayal instead"

"You are bluffing" She answered unconvinced.

"Really?" The sarcastic tone of his voice made her freeze. He walked to a large screen and pushed some buttons. The screen turned on and an image of three persons inside a car appeared. A man was driving, with a woman by her side, holding a purse.

"How much time before we reach home, honey?" She asked.

"About one hour I think"

Rose stared in shock as she recognized the family. "_It's them…"_ But what really got her was the person on the backseat…

"Look… Luna fell asleep" The mother said, smiling. "Should I wake her up? The landscape is so beautiful here…"

"Let her rest a little... It was a long day" The man quietly answered.

"No…" Rose couldn't believe her eyes… It was her twin sister. She looked just like her… She was lying down and peacefully sleeping. _"Luna… So that's her name?"_

"We installed a bomb inside the car" The Huntsman said coldly and grabbed something from his pocket. "This is the detonator. Unless you tell me where the skulls are, I will just kill them all. It will look like an accident… The police will never find out what really happened"

"Please! They don't have anything to do with this! Leave them alone! I beg you!"

"You know what you have to do to save them"

"I… I can't…"

"Very well…" The huntsman said and started to press some buttons "Always remember that it was your fault"

"NO!" Rose screamed as tears began to leak out of her eyes. The Huntsman stopped just a second before pressing the detonator.

"Where?"

She hesitated. She opened her mouth but no sound came from it.

"I will ask one last time… Where?"

Rose looked at the screen again. Luna had woken up and was cheerfully talking to her mother. Her eyes were blue, just like hers. They were warm and full of life… full of happiness. The smile on her face shattered Rose's heart.

"10048, 487th Street… A shop called Canal Street Electronics" Rose finally said, dropping her head.

"Good girl" The Huntsman said, smirking. "Throw her into a cell"

"_Forgive me Jake… I failed you__" _That's all Rose could think while she was dragged to the dungeon. "_I'm really sorry…"_

_

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_

**Well... This was it.**

**You can see it's a bit like the original "Homecoming" scene, but I tried my best to make it different. :)**

**Another thing I changed is how the Huntsman found out about Rose's betrayal.  
****Really... He needed a video to know about that on the actual show? It was under his nose all the time! :P**

**So... Tell me what you think about it! :)**

**Thanks for reading!**


	14. Half Truths, Half Lies

**Hello everyone!**

**Here is another chapter :D**

**Thanks for your kind reviews!**

**So... Let's go!**

**Hope you enjoy it! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney.**

**

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**

**Chapter 14: Half-Truths, Half-Lies **

Jake was going insane. If Rose didn't appear or call him in the next five minutes, he would go out and look for her himself. "I can't take this anymore! I will look for her!"

"Dude… I'm worried too! But I don't think that's going to help either! She could be anywhere…" Spud said, while looking for information on the internet. "I'm trying to find the location of the Huntslair… Give me some minutes…It will increase your chances of finding her"

"Fine…" Jake said and crossed his arms. "By the way Gramps… How do these skulls work anyway?"

"If the 13 Aztec skulls are activated, they will release a deadly curse on all the living beings that have any trace of magic attached to them" Lao Shi said.

"Keep in mind that curses are a lot worse than spells. They are pure dark magic. It's almost impossible to break them. Only the most powerful wizards were able to do it… Other than that, just miracles…" Fu Dog added while looking through his old books.

"So… If the Huntsman activates them, it will be certain doom?"

"Most likely… It takes about one minute for the curse to reach its apex. Until then, we still have a chance, but if the ritual is completed, there's practically no way to revert it. So we'd better protect the skulls at all costs…" Fu answered him.

Jake sighed. Then, an idea popped into his mind. "I'll use the dream charm! If she is asleep, I'll be able to talk to her!"

"I don't know Jake… I doubt she is sleeping now…" Trixie commented.

"Do you have any better idea?" Jake answered dryly. "Spud, keep working on it, ok?"

"Alright. I'll do my best" Spid said, not taking his eyes off the laptop.

"Wake me up if something comes up" He said while grabbing the dream charm and lied down on the couch.

Some minutes later, he was in the Dream Realm. He looked around, found Rose's door and tried to open it, but it was locked. Jake sighed. "_She is still awake…"_

He decided to wait a little more and see if he could open it some time later. After a while, he tried again, but with no results. He did that for about twenty minutes, until…

Jake woke up with a loud explosion. "What the…"

"Kid! It's the Huntsclan! Dragon-up now!" Fu told him desperately.

Jake did so and flew to the front of the shop. Lao Shi and Sun were already there, ready for the battle.

"So, dragons… This is your hideout? Not that impressive I must say" The Huntsman said with an evil smirk. He was standing where the entrance door should be. Behind him there were about ten other Huntsclan members, but no sign of Rose. "Now… Give me the skulls!"

"Not a chance Huntspunk!" Jake yelled, gritting his teeth. "Where is she?" He said, his voice full of anger.

"Who are you talking about, dragon? Oh! Wait! You mean Huntsgirl? She deserved some rest after all she has been through. I let her stay at the headquarters. Why are you so worried about her? I thought you were enemies"

"I don't believe you! What did you do to her?" Jake was getting sick of his little games.

The Huntsman started to laugh. It sent shivers down Jake's spine.

"What did you do to her?" He asked again, feeling more hatred starting to take over his mind.

"She is unharmed, don't worry… Now, I'll ask again… Give me the three last skulls or else we will take them ourselves" He said, charging his staff. The other Huntsmembers did the same.

"Try to!" Jake yelled and the battle began…

Meanwhile, Trixie and Spud were in the middle of the mess.

"Uh… Trix… I think we should use the Escape Plan 45b" He discreetly told her.

"Say what? Spudinski! I'll not leave them fighting these Huntsfreaks alone! We have to help!"

"Get out of here now! We can handle it! We will need backup later if something goes wrong!" Fu whispered to them.

Trixie reluctantly nodded and looked at Spud again. "45b?"

"Yes. On 3… 1, 2…"

"DRA… DRA… DRAGONS!" Trixie suddenly started to scream at the top of her lungs.

"AHHHHH! A TALKING DOG! MOMMY!" Spud did the same and they started to run.

Everybody stopped and watched dumbfounded as the two teens stormed out of the shop screaming. _"Nice escape plan" _Jake thought. A second later, they all just shrugged and continued to fight.

Some Huntsclan members started to surround Fu. "Calm down guys… I think there's a better way to solve this…" He backed away until his back touched a shelf. He turned around and picked up a random vial. "Take this!" The shar-pei said and threw the potion. It turned the three men into a three-headed beast.

Fu Dog turned his head away as the monster roared at his face. "oops… Wrong potion!" He quickly grabbed another one and spilled it on them. Fu slowly opened his eyes and saw three cats meowing. Fu smirked and started to chase them, barking.

Jake and the others weren't doing really well though. They were outnumbered and getting tired fast. They managed to take down many of them, but the Huntsman was getting the upper hand.

"Give up dragons! You are not going to win this time!" He mocked them.

"We are not going to give up!" Sun said, trying to motivate the others.

"You will only get those skulls over my dead body!" Jake yelled.

"That can be arranged" The Huntsman said while swinging his staff dangerously close to Jake. He dodged several blasts and then wrapped the Huntsman's ankle with his tail, making him fall while still shooting his staff.

Jake's ears perked as he heard a piercing cry of pain. He looked around and saw Gramps being hit by one of the Huntsman's blasts. He fell unconscious while other Huntsmembers surrounded Sun and Fu was being immobilized.

He was going to help them, but the Huntsman got up and grabbed his tail. Jake felt a terrible pain after he was hit by a powerful blow.

"What a shame… This is all you got?" He said, smirking. "And just for the record… I always knew about you and Rose" Jake froze at that statement. "She did a wonderful work. I wouldn't be able to get all the skulls without her"

"What?" Jake asked, terrified.

"It was my plan the whole time. She was spying you for me."

"NO! You are lying!" He snapped back.

"I didn't make her talk. She gave me this address by her own choice. Face it! She betrayed you, not me!"

"No… It can't be!" Jake started to back away.

"Do you think she cares about you? Do you really think she loves you?"

"SHUT UP!" Jake screamed as he furiously threw himself at the Huntsman and started to merciless attack him, but it was not a good thing. Jake's hatred was blinding his judgment and he was faltering a lot.

"She is a great actor, isn't she?"

"I said SHUT UP!" Jake was losing his focus. The tables turned and The Huntsman was the one attacking now.

"Look at yourself! You are a disgusting, nasty and scaly reptile! You are a monster! She would never really love you!" And he finally got it. He touched the sore spot.

Jake lost it. He tried to attack the Huntsman with all his strength. He wanted to kill that evil man, but it was a terrible mistake. He dodged it easily, leaving Jake with his guard down. The Huntsman used the opportunity to finish the fight.

"You lost" It was all Jake heard as his vision started to blur. "I would slay you now, but I want you to suffer the curse of the Aztec skulls" The Huntsman's sinister laugh echoed in his mind and everything turned black.

Some time later…

"Kid? Kid?" Fu Dog was nudging him. Jake slowly opened his eyes. Lao Shi, Trixie, Spud and Sun were worriedly watching him.

"Wha… What happened?" He asked groggily.

"The Huntsman knocked you out…" Sun answered him.

"Where are the skulls?"

"They are gone…" Fu said with grief.

Jake looked around and realized the shop was completely destroyed. Finally, his eyes locked on the safe where the skulls were hidden. "No…"

* * *

**Things are going from bad to worse...  
Did you understand what the Huntsman is trying to do? He is really evil, isn't he? :P**

**You read right. The Aztec skulls won't grant a irreversible wish. At least not in this fic. (Really... that surprised me on the show... Since when skulls are related to wishes? XD)  
Anyway... You will understand why I did that :P**

**And the epic battle approaches...**

**Until the next time! Cheers! :D**

**Thanks for reading!**


	15. The Gargoyles of Pantheon

**Hello everyone! :)**

**THANK YOU ALL! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR REVIEWS! :D**

**Anyway, here is the new chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. ****They belong to Disney.**

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**Chapter 15: The Gargoyles of Pantheon**

"What are we going to do now?" Sun asked in a really worried way.

"The only thing we can do… Stop them…" Jake answered before getting up and turning back to human.

"Jake? I'm sorry about… her" Sun heard what the Huntsman had told him about Rose and was trying to comfort the boy. But it actually did the opposite.

"Rose didn't betray us! There must be another explanation!" Jake yelled, without even looking into her eyes. "It can't be!"

"Jakey… I had told you she…" Trixie started, but was cut off by an enraged Jake.

"No! The Huntsman was lying! I refuse to believe Rose was deceiving me!" Jake was confused. Deep inside he knew Rose would never do that… But there was something in the back of his mind that was bothering him… "_Or would she?"_

"Grandson…" Lao Shi started, but he lost his voice. He didn't know what to say.

"Gramps… Please… Tell me you don't believe it… Tell me you still trust her…"

"I really don't know what to think…" He admitted.

Jake groaned in frustration. "Enough of this nonsense! We have to stop the Huntsclan! Where are they going to perform the ritual?"

"Wait…" Fu said and picked up Spud's laptop from the corner of the shop. Luckily, it was intact. He started to look for the information on the internet. "It seems like the skulls only work when inserted into something called The Gargoyles of Pantheon… Now… This is weird… Here it says that they were lost a hundred years ago"

"Then how are they going to do it?" Jake asked.

"Hold up… Did you just say… Gargoyles of Pantheon?" Trixie suddenly said as something popped into her mind.

"Yes… Wait… Do you mean you know something about them?" Fu asked, puzzled.

"Yeah! Trixie is right! There's a building in New York with thirteen gargoyles in the rooftop… It's called… Pantheon Building? Wait! Isn't that the place where they wanted to do the Homecoming Ball at first?" Spud said as he remembered Sun listing the possible locations for the event some weeks ago.

"Yes… It was… But we scrapped the idea because of the costs…" She answered.

"That's too much of a coincidence, don't you think? Fu, is it possible?" Jake asked him.

"It may be. Wait… Yeah! That's it!" He answered as he looked at the pictures of the said building. "I just wonder how they ended up there"

"Don't ask me… Nothing surprises me anymore" Spud said casually.

"When are they going to do it?"

"The ritual has to be done before dawn. It's part of the curse: after the sunrise, all the magical creatures will be dead" Lao Shi explained.

"Then we don't have much time! I don't think they will wait until tomorrow…" Jake finally said. "But what about the shop?"

Gramps sighed while looking at his destroyed shop. "I think we will have to move out. We can't stay here now that they know its location… Fu, how many things are still intact?"

"Well… Although everything is a mess… All the books survived. There are some potions there and there too. What should I do with them?"

"Take everything important that you can find to the basement of Jake's house for now… We will solve this later. We have more important things to take care of…"

"OK. I'll prepare the delivery portal…" Fu said and went to the back of the shop.

"Trixie, Spud… I think you should go home now… It's almost 2 AM…" Jake told them.

"What? No way! We will help! We already told our parents that we would sleep in your house anyway" Trixie crossed her arms. "This is way too serious! We can't just go home and hope everything went well!"

Jake shook his head. "It's too dangerous…"

"Dude! We don't care! They are about to destroy all the magical creatures! That's definitely not cool!" Spud said putting an arm on Jake's shoulder. "I don't want to lose my best buddy…"

"Neither I…" Trixie commented. "Please Jake, Let us help… You will not be able to do this alone…"

Jake finally sighed and gave them a warm smile. "Thanks guys… I don't know what I would do without you"

"No problems Jakey! Remember: Friend for life, friends for real!"

"But you will need disguises. I don't want the Huntsman to know who you are… Gramps? Do you know anything they could use?"

Lao Shi thought for a minute and then snapped his fingers. "Fu! Do we have any disguising bracelets here?"

"Wait! Let me check!" He answered between many crashes and thuds. "Ouch! How much useless stuff do we have here?" Then, all of them cringed when they heard what sounded to be a landslide.

"Err… Fu? Are you alright?" Jake asked, worried.

"I'm alright… errr… Maybe not so much… ugh… Ah! Here they are!" They heard him say and them he came back to the front with two bracelets in his mouth. He was completely covered in dust.

"Here. These will allow you to change your appearance enough so the Huntsman won't recognize you"

They put them on and waited, but nothing happened.

"Errr… Are you sure this isn't broken?" Spud asked, pulling the bracelet and trying to find a button or something like that.

"No. You have to think about how you want to look like. Let's say… If you want to be blond, just imagine yourself like that" The talking dog said. "I'll show you"

Spud handed him the object and watched as Fu closed his eyes. A second later, he turned into a German Sheppard. "You see?"

"Let me try" Trixie said and closed her eyes. After a second, she looked like a completely different girl. Her hair turned brown and straight and her eyes were green.

"Wow! That's awesome!" Spud said, amazed. "My turn"

He put the bracelet on again and closed his eyes. "So… What do you think?"

Everyone just stared with their mouths hung open.

"OK… Maybe I should try something else…"

Meanwhile…

Rose didn't know for how long she was in that cell. Actually, she didn't care. All she could think of was Jake. _"I betrayed him… I betrayed the only person that really cared about me…"_

She did it for her family… But it didn't ease the guilt that was destroying her. Rose was broken. All the hope she had left finally disappeared.

"Huntsgirl!" Rose heard the Huntsman open the cell and call her, but she didn't say a single word. She didn't move.

"Rose…" The Huntsman called again, his voice full of venom.

"What do you want?" She asked with an indifferent tone. She kept staring into nothing.

He finally lost his patience and gripped her arm really hard. "Now listen to me your little turncoat brat! Thanks to you, we now have all the skulls" If she was at rock bottom before, now she was buried a thousand feet under the ground. "And I want you to come and personally watch the end of the magical creatures"

"No" She said dryly.

"It's an order, not a request"

"I don't care"

The Huntsman then slapped her face really hard, making her fall on the cold and dirty floor. "You will do what I order you to do!" And he kicked her in the stomach.

Rose curled up, whimpering. It hurt too much. He threw a uniform on her face. "Now wear this!" He said before turning around and leaving.

It took one or two minutes for her to recover. She sat down and tried to catch her breath. She looked at the uniform… It was her Huntsgirl outfit. _"I thought I would never have to wear this again…" _She sighed.

Rose finally made up her mind: she knew exactly what she had to do…

She was going to redeem herself… at all costs.

Back to Canal Street Electronics…

"Everybody ready?" Jake asked.

"More than ever" Spud answered. He now had a black and curly hair and his now chocolate eyes were covered by sunglasses. These were magical ones, of course.

"So, are you sure this thing will really work?" Trixie asked, holding a vial with a dark liquid. She was wearing the same kind of sunglasses as Spud.

"Of course it will! The Instant Kung-Fu potion is one of my favourites! You will be a black belt as soon as you take a sip of it!" Fu told her with enthusiasm.

"Alright! Let's go!"

Jake, Sun and Lao Shi turned into dragons and the others hopped on their backs.

_"This is going to be really interesting"_ Jake thought with a smirk. Then, his mind drifted back to Rose…

"_I hope she is alright…" _He thought. _"It can't be true… she didn't betray us…" _

Or at least, he really hoped so…

It took some minutes to reach the Pantheon Building, but it seemed like hours. From the distance, they could see the ominous gargoyles and a group of masked people in the rooftop. It was definitely the place.

They landed on the opposite side of the building, facing the Huntsclan members. There was no talk or any signs of preparation for the battle. They just stood there and faced each other…

Jake and Rose exchanged looks. They were trying to read each other's feelings, but neither of them was able to do it.

Nobody knew what was going to happen next…

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**Cliffhanger again! I'm evil! :P**

**Note: The "disguising bracelets" thing was originally an idea from Hezpeller. I just made some adaptations to fit it into my story :)**

**Thanks for reading! Cheers! :D**


	16. Forgiveness

**Update! Update! :D**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews! :)**

**Here we are! The epic battle between Dragons and Slayers! :P**

**So... Everybody ready? And... Action!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney.**

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**Chapter 16: ****Forgiveness**

"Well, well... Finally! We were waiting for you to show up" The Huntsman finally broke the long and suspenseful silence. "Why did you take so long to get here?"

"You let a huge mess for us to clean up back there" Jake answered.

"Better late than never. Any last words before your ultimate annihilation?" He said, putting a "protector" arm around Rose. She mentally flinched in disgust with such action.

Jake didn't know what to think. _"So this means she really betrayed us?" _Anger started to build up inside Jake's soul. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the evil man. "Actually… Yes. Give it all you got Huntschump!"

The first one to attack was the Huntsman. He charged his staff with the speed of a lightning and fired it. Jake dodged the beam easily and started to fly into his direction.

The whole Huntsclan charged as well. Sun and Lao Shi prepared themselves while Trixie, Spud and Fu drank the Instant Kung-Fu potion. A few seconds later, blasts and fireballs were flying everywhere.

"Hey! This thing really works!" Spud said to Trixie between all the shouts and battle noises. He was dodging attacks like a martial arts master and delivering really effective attacks.

"Watch me take down three Huntsfreaks with just one move! HIYA!" Trixie ansered him and did as she said.

"Remember to drink it again when you feel it's wearing off!" Fu said while punching and kicking.

"Put the skulls inside the gargoyles!" The Huntsman ordered the others. He and Jake were exchanging kicks, fireballs and blasts. Neither was winning. They were tied so far.

The first two skulls were put inside the gargoyles. They started to glow and an energy flow connected them.

"Don't let them complete the circle!" Lao Shi yelled to the others while fighting a skilled young woman, about Rose's age.

Sun looked around and noticed a man with the third skull placing it inside another gargoyle. She used her tail to grab the person she was fighting a few yards away and flew into his direction. But then, she felt someone jump and tackle her into the ground, while two young men pointed their staffs at her.

Meanwhile, Rose was frozen in place. She didn't know what to do. She just watched as the battle happened before her eyes. Now, five skulls were activated and time was running out.

The Huntsman chuckled. "Well… Now you believe me? There is she, alive and well"

"Good for you, because if you had hurt her, you would regret it!" Jake said and swung his tail, making the Huntsman fly across the rooftop. He landed on the elevator's door, breaking it and making the dragon skull in his head to fall down the pit.

He slowly got up and pulled the elevator's cables, smashing them into the ground while turning around. He ripped his outfit, showing the huge birthmark that ran across his chest up to his face, where the head of the dragon was.

Both opponents furiously looked at each other's eyes and started to walk in circles, facing each other.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the confusion, 88 and 89 were in the same situation as Rose.

"Aren't we gonna do something?" 88 asked.

"Well, we are on the Dragons side… But we are wearing Huntsclan colors… What should we do?"

"Then… Let's discreetly help the dragons… There!" He pointed towards Sun, who was still struggling to break free from the three men. 89 nodded and fired his staff while pretending to be looking at something else. The blast hit the target, who finally released the dragon.

"Hey!" the other two shouted.

"Sorry about that!" 88 said and the two trainees high-fived.

"Give up dragon! You already lost!" The girl fighting Lao Shi mocked him. But then, she faltered and Lao Shi made her staff fly into the air.

"Never underestimate your opponent, young one" He said with a smirk and threw a fire ball at her. She dodged it, jumped and landed on Lao Shi's back.

"And never talk too much!" She yelled while the elder dragon tried to shake her off.

"Why do you hate magical creatures? We have the same right to live as anyone else!"

"Because you are heartless monsters!" She snapped back.

"That's a lie"

"Yeah… right! AHHH!" Then, she lost her balance and almost fell off the building. Luckily, Gramps grabbed her with his tail on time.

She was dumbstruck when he put her back on the floor. "Why did you do that?"

"The truth depends a lot on how you look at it" He simply answered and turned around, quickly flying towards Fu dog, who was being surrounded.

"_What did he mean with that?" _She wondered.

As the minutes passed, more skulls were being activated.

"Rose! Please! Do something!" Jake said as realized that nine of them were glowing and started to form a circle of light.

The Huntsman threw a "don't even think about it" look at her and she dropped her head.

"I… I can't" She thought about her family… About Luna… She had to wait until the right moment…

Jake finally managed to deliver an attack that made the Huntsman fall to the ground. He groaned while trying to get up. Then, Jake turned towards Rose.

"So, it's truth? He always knew?" He asked her with a sad tone.

She nodded in shame. She didn't have the courage to look into his eyes.

"You really told him where the skulls were?"

"Jake… I'm… I'm sorry… It's… It's all true…"

"What? But… Rose… How could you? Everything we have been through, everything you told me… So it was all just a lie?"

"What?" Rose suddenly looked at Jake. His eyes were burning with anger, but they had a shade of sadness and sorrow. She paled after realizing what was going on: the Huntsman deceived Jake into thinking that she was just using him.

"No… No…" She backed away.

The Huntsman smirked when he saw the two start to fight. Jake was attacking with all his strength, while Rose was just trying to defend herself. Like happened to Jake before, her heart was making her hold back.

"You told me you had feelings for me! You said you loved me!" He cried while hitting her many times with his claws. Rose couldn't do anything, since she didn't a have a huntstaff to block them with. He did not stop even with her cries of pain.

On the other side of the building, Trixie and Spud still were fighting, but the potion was starting to wear off.

"Trix! The potion is wearing off!" Spud yelled while more Huntsclan members started to surround them.

"I know!" She said. Trixie managed to jump over everyone's shoulders and land on a safer place. She grabbed the potion and drank what was left in the vial. When she opened her eyes, she realized Spud was still trapped. "Spud! Get out of there!"

"I can't… ugh" Then, Trixie couldn't see him anymore…

"Spud!" She shouted and started to fight her way into the mess.

"Now… Stop just where you are!" She heard someone say. She looked to where the voice came from and froze as she saw a red-headed girl holding an unconscious Spud with a knife close to his neck. It was the same one who was fighting Lao Shi earlier. "Don't move, or your friend dies"

"If you dare to…" She started, but was stopped by the other girl, who pressed the knife against his skin.

"Give up…" She said, smirking behind her mask. "And I will spare his life"

Trixie hesitated, but finally dropped her head and fell to her knees. She couldn't risk her friend's life…

"Smart girl…" The red-headed maliciously said.

Sun and Lao Shi were performing relatively well, but now they were surrounded.

"There are too many of them!" Then, an idea popped into her mind. "Lao Shi, do you know 'The Tornado'?" She asked.

He nodded. They held each other's hands and started to fly in circles. A second later, they were so fast that the Huntsclan members that surrounded them were sent flying to all the directions.

They gradually slowed down until completely stopping.

"It worked!" Sun cheerfully said.

Then, out of nowhere, a net came flying into their direction. They didn't have time to dodge it.

"Sphinx hair!" Lao Shi cried in pain as he felt all his strength being drained out of him.

Sun struggled to break free, but ended up passing out even faster.

88 and 89 could only watch while everyone else was being defeated: Trixie and Spud were tied up, Fu Dog was now inside an energy cage and the two dragons were powerless.

"That's definitely not good…" 89 commented.

"What do we do now?" 88 worriedly asked.

"We have to hope Rose and her BFF forever will save the day again…"

"I've told you a thousand times! The last F already stands for forever!"

"Whatever…"

88 then lost his patience and threw himself at 89…

The Huntsman now was just one step from completing his evil plan: 12 skulls were already activated and the only two persons who could stop him were fighting each other…

"Jake, please stop!" She begged while doing her best to avoid the dragon's attacks.

"I really loved you Rose! How could you do this to me?" He yelled, tears streaming down his face. Finally, he delivered a blow that made her fall on her back. He was going to throw the final blow. Rose shut her eyes and looked away, but it never came.

Jake stopped dead in his tracks… Rose was covered in bruises and cuts. The look she gave him afterwards completely extinguished his fire. It was a confusing mixture of grief, pure fear, supplication, regret and… Love? "What am I doing?" He looked around. All his friends were captured… The circle of skulls was almost complete… It was over…

Everyone on the rooftop just watched the scene with amazement. The young red-headed woman narrowed her eyes and charged her staff. "If you dare to hurt her again…" She spoke under her breath.

Then, to everyone's surprise, he simply dropped to his knees and kept his head down. "I give up… I can't take this anymore…"

"Jake…" Rose tried to touch him, but he turned her hand away.

The Huntsman started to evilly laugh. He approached Rose and handed her a staff. "You know what to do"

Rose looked at the weapon, then at the Huntsman, Jake and then back at the Huntsman again. "No!"

"I'm giving him the chance to have a fast and painless death. If you don't do it, he will suffer the curse of the Aztec Skulls. It's your choice. He will die either way" The Huntsmaster paused and put the staff down on the floor in front of her. "Don't you love him? Then just spare him from more pain"

"I can't…" Her voice cracked.

"Do it… Please…" Jake finally said without moving a muscle. "Just do it…"

She couldn't believe her ears. She swallowed hard and picked up the staff. The Huntsman smirked behind his mask and backed away, so he could watch it from a safe distance.

Rose started to tremble. She didn't want to live anymore… Everything she cared about had turned into ashes… The Huntsman destroyed her family, destroyed her soul, destroyed her happiness, destroyed her hope, destroyed her life… He destroyed Jake… But there was just one thing that she would never allow him to destroy…

She moved around the broken dragon for a while and finally stopped before slowly charging her staff and aiming. Rose looked at the Huntsman who was right behind her with the last skull in his hands.

"Finish him!" He yelled.

"Jake! NO!" Lao Shi screamed. He struggled, trying to break free from the net, but it was no use. All the others just stared in shock.

Rose turned back to Jake and looked deep into his eyes. The only thing she could see in them was something that comforted her heart… Maybe for the last time…

Forgiveness.

"I'm sorry…" Rose said before firing.

A piercing cry of pain echoed through the night sky…

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**Errr... I know I promised I would make everything into one big chapter... But I couldn't resist! :P**  
**Sorry...**

**But don't worry! The next chapter is already up! :D**  
**You see? I'm not that evil :P**

**Cheers!**


	17. Never Too Late

**Alright. Here is the 2nd part of the battle.**

**This is a double update, so I suggest you to read chapter 16 if you didn't do it yet! :P**

**Again, sorry for the cliffhanger on the last chapter... But I just had to put it there. I mean... at least you guys can have a 5 seconds "freak out" moment until this page is loaded, right? XD  
Just kidding :P**

**Enough chatter! Let's get into it! :D**

**Hope you like it**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney.**

**

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**

**Chapter 17: Never Too Late**

"I'm sorry…" Rose said before firing.

A piercing cry of pain echoed through the night sky...

Jake now had his eyes wide open… But not because of pain.

Rose really had fired, but her staff was pointing towards the opposite direction… She had flipped it in the last second, so the blast would hit… The Huntsman.

She leaped into the air and landed on his back. "That one was for blackmailing me!" And then Rose punched him in the face really hard. "And this is for turning Jake against me!" She yelled, grabbed the skull and started to run.

"_He blackmailed her? That explains everything!" _Jake got up and tried to fly, but many Huntsclan members threw themselves at him and managed to hold him down.

Jake then looked back at Rose. She was reaching the edge of the building, but then a net suddenly wrapped her legs together. She fell with her face hitting the concrete.

"Rose!" He yelled and tried to break free from the men.

Rose tried to free herself as well, but then she saw the Huntsman getting up. She lifted the skull into the air and was going to destroy it, but he was faster and grabbed it before it even touched the floor.

"Well, well… Looks like I underestimated you. That was a really impressive strategy" He grabbed her by the neck with his free hand and lifted her high up into the air. "It's a pity that I have to kill you…"

She started to gasp for air as the Huntsman tightened the grip on her neck. Everything was getting blurry and she started to black out.

"Goodbye, Rose. Good trip to Hell" It was the last thing she heard before she felt herself in a free fall.

Jake widened his eyes as he saw the Huntsman dropping her out of the building. "ROSE!"

It all happened in less than a second: He broke free from the Huntsclan members, ran to the edge of the building and dived after her.

Jake had never flown so fast in his entire life. But it wasn't enough… He wasn't going to get her in time. He narrowed his eyes and brought his wings and arms closer to his body. He never thought that Physics concepts would be so useful… But it worked. He gained speed and started to get closer to Rose… But they were also getting closer and closer to the pavement below… _"This is going to hurt"_

Everyone on the rooftop just stared in shock, for different reasons.

"This is not good!" Spud said, terrified. "He took too long to jump! They are not going to make it!"

"What?" Trixie asked in horror.

Expectations grew as the time passed. They couldn't take their eyes off the sky…

Finally, they saw the red dragon appear with a semi-conscious Rose in his arms. Most of them sighed in relief. Others were so shocked that they couldn't even breathe.

He gently put her down, cut the net that was wraping her feet together and took off her mask. "Rose?" He said while putting a hand on her cheek.

She was still trembling, but she slowly opened her eyes. "Ja… Jake… He was going to kill my family… There was nothing else I could do... I..."

"It's ok… I know… I know…" He said and hugged her. Rose closed her eyes and hugged him back.

Suddenly, Jake started to cry in pain. Rose quickly opened her eyes and realized that he was glowing red. "Jake? Jake? NO!"

She looked around and saw that the Huntsman had activated the last skull while they were distracted. "How touching" He said. "But now he is going to die… Like all the magical creatures!"

Lao Shi, Sun, and Fu were engulfed by the same sinister red glow. All around the world, the magical creatures started to cry and writhe in agony.

At the Long's residence…

"AAAAHHHH!"

Jonathan suddenly woke up with the scream. "HALEY!"

He immediately ran to her room. When he opened the door, he was shocked to see a pink dragon glowing red on Haley's bed. He approached and started to examine the creature closer. He knew it was Haley. He didn't know what was happening, but he just knew it was her. She was in pain, and that was the only thing that he could think about.

"Daddy! Help! Please! It hurts too much!" She cried.

"Don't worry Haley… Hold on. I've got you" He quickly held her in his arms and carried her back to his room.

He was shocked when he entered it and saw his wife glowing red like Haley. She was curled up on the bed and whimpering. "Honey!"

"Susan? Susan?" He didn't know what to do. Then, it hit him. "JAKE!" Jonathan ran to his room, and freaked out when he saw that his son wasn't there. "Oh no! What's going on here?"

"DADDY!" He heard Haley screaming again.

"I'm coming!" He answered before running back to his family.

Back to the Pantheon Building…

"Rose! Get out of here!"

"No! I have to do something!"

"It's too late! Go! Save yourself!"

Rose bit her lip and looked around. _"The skulls!" _She quickly got up and ran towards one of them. But then, the Huntsman appeared behind her and held her in a head lock.

"Don't even think about it! It's over! You lost!"

"No!" She tried to break free from his grip, but he was too strong.

"Listen. I'll forgive your betrayal. I'll let you go back to your family. All you need to do is to cooperate. You will be free from the Huntsclan… Forever" He whispered into her ear. "Isn't that what you always wanted? A normal life?"

He was right… A normal life was all she wanted… But then she looked around: all the magical creatures were dying… She couldn't let that happen… She could save them… She could save Jake. She couldn't let him die. She couldn't let anyone die.

Then, it happened: suddenly, Rose heard the Huntsman scream in pain and she felt him release her. His huge dragon birthmark started to glow red as well. She looked around and realized that the same thing was happening to everyone else… Including her.

She felt the pain start to spread from her wrist to her arm, and then to her whole body in a fraction of second. She didn't even have to think twice.

Rose started to walk towards the skulls, but it seemed that the closer she got, the worse the pain was. She tried to ignore it. She had to do it.

When she touched one of them, it felt like acid started to run through her veins. She put another hand on it and tried to pull it out of the gargoyle. All her strength was disappearing. She finally managed to take it out, but then she collapsed. The skull rolled a few inches away from her hand. She could feel the curse attacking her body and sucking all the life out of her. She couldn't move anymore. She used all the remaining energy to stretch her arm and grab the cursed object again. She lifted it into the air and brought it down.

The crystal skull shattered into a thousand pieces. A second later, all the other skulls started to break automatically. Much to Rose's relief, she felt the curse fading away. She had destroyed the skulls on time. It was over…

She looked around and saw that everyone else was starting to recover too. Then, she looked at her birthmark. _"But… How?" _Then, it hit her.

"What… What happened?" A random Huntsmember asked.

"I don't know. But it hurt a lot" Another one said.

"Now, everyone listen to me!" Rose yelled, just to make sure everyone could hear her "That was the Aztec Skulls curse! We all were going to die!"

"But we thought it only would kill magical creatures!" Someone else said.

"Exactly!"

It took most of them some minutes to realize what she meant with that, but gradually all of them started to understand.

"No way!" A lot of them said in unison, along with other similar expressions.

"Face it! This birthmark must have some kind of magic into it! Like it or not, we all are magical too!" She said, pointing to her right hand.

"Very well… So you found out the Huntsclan's darkest secret…" The Huntsman finally said while getting up. "It's true. The birthmark has magic attached to it. But we are NOT magical creatures"

"Oh… Really? Then how do you explain what just happened?" Jake finally got up again and got into the argument.

"The curse of the Aztec skulls was going to kill all the living beings that had any kind of magic attached to them" He explained. Suddenly, everything made sense. "We knew this could happen, but it was a necessary risk! It was the only way to finally free the world from these creatures for once and for all!"

"You know what? I think you have problems, Huntsfreak!" Trixie finally said.

"You really have to find a new hobby… Maybe… Video-games or… Fishing… I don't know…" Spud tried to say, but he trailed off. "Ah… Nevermind"

"Can't you see? The whole Huntsclan is just a lie! You all were brainwashed into thinking that magical creatures are evil and worthless!" Rose yelled again.

"Enough!" The Huntsmaster finally said and started to attack her. "How could you? I raised you! I trained you!"

"You took me away from my parents! You lied to me my whole life!" She said while dodging his attacks. She was probably one of the few people that actually had any chance against him. But the problem is that she was exhausted. "You told me dragons are heartless monsters… But the only heartless monster I can see here is you!"

And that was it. The Huntsman kicked Rose on the stomach once again. She fell to the ground and started to cough. Then, he grabbed his staff out of nowhere and pointed it at her. "You still have to pay for your betrayal!"

"Not if it depends on me!" Jake yelled while flying into his direction. The Huntsman didn't have time to dodge him and was sent flying across the rooftop once again.

He slowly got up and looked at the two. Jake was kneeling down next to Rose to make sure she was alright.

"I'm ok Jake…" She said, trying to catch her breath

"The skulls plan didn't work, but this doesn't mean I gave up just yet!" They heard the Huntsman say.

"Whatever you say, Huntschump! You will have to go through me first!"

Rose tried to get up, but suddenly she felt everything spinning. "Jake…"

"Rose? Rose? What's wrong?"

"Huntsclan! Attack!" The Huntsman yelled.

"Rose? Rose, hang on! Don't…"

It was the last thing she heard before she lost consciousness…

******

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**

Oh boy... Not again...  
:P

**But seriously... This time, the cut was really necessary. :P**

**So... What do you think about it? :P**

**Cheers!**


	18. Prisoners

******Hello everyone. :)**

******I finally managed to finish this one... It was a bit hard to write, I must say.**

******I'm going to warn beforehand that things are going to get a little dark. O.o**

******So... Thanks for all the reviews! And I hope you... err... Like it? **

******Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney.**

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**Chapter 18: ****Prisoners**

Rose slowly opened her eyes and looked around. "Where am I?" Then, she remembered about everything that had happened: the Homecoming ball, the skulls, the battle… "Oh no! Jake? Jake?"

"Over here…" She looked around and there he was… Chained to the wall?

"What happened?" She asked worriedly.

Jake hung his head. "I couldn't fight them all… They captured us…"

Rose froze. They were at the Huntsclan dungeon? That was not good. "Where are the others?"

"Somewhere… I really don't know…"

"We have to get out of here!" She got up and started to examine the chains.

"I already tried to break them… It was no use. They are made of unicorn horn…"

"No! There has to be a way!" She yelled in despair.

"I'm sorry…" He simply said.

"Jake! Don't say that! We will think of something! I promise!" She said, holding his face and looking deep into his eyes. "I promise"

He gave her a little smile in response. "At least we will go through this together…"

She smiled back and hugged him. "Always"

They broke apart when they heard footsteps. Someone started to open the cell. It was the Huntsman.

Rose's blood started to boil. She was going to kill him no matter what.

"Ah. Good to see you are finally awake" He mockingly said.

"You! You monster! I swear I will… AAHH!" She started to shout, but was cut off by an electric shock. She screamed as she felt the electricity run through her body. When it stopped, she leaned against the wall to catch her breath. Her heart was beating so fast that she thought it was going to come out. Rose looked at her wrist. There was the torturing device. It was a kind of bracelet.

"Easy now my girl… I suggest you to save your strength. You'll need it…"

Jake could only watch in horror. He felt his anger start to take over again.

"Don't you dare to hurt her again!" Jake said, outraged.

"Why not?" The Huntsmaster said and pressed the button of his controller. Rose started to scream again while she was assaulted by a second shock. "You can't do anything to stop me, can you? And don't worry… It's your turn now"

What… AHHHH!"

The evil man smirked as he saw the dragon scream. He had the same kind of device on him, but it was on his neck instead.

"Jake!" Rose didn't know how she didn't notice them before.

Jake panted heavily when it finally stopped. But he didn't even have time to recover before it started again. This time it was a lot longer and stronger. Rose ran into his direction and tried help him somehow, but when she touched the chains, she felt the current pass through her. She shrieked and removed her hand in reflex.

"STOP IT!" Rose yelled. She didn't know what hurt the most: the shocks or Jake's cries of pain. "Don't hurt him! He didn't do anything! I'm the traitor! Not him!"

"Hmmm… Yes… That's right. Thanks for remembering me"

Rose suddenly regretted what she had just said. The shock she received afterwards almost made her have a heart attack. She fell to the floor and curled up. Rose started to loose her voice and the scream was replaced by rough squeals.

"You are killing her!" Jake yelled.

"Oh no… At least not yet…" The Huntsman maliciously said and released the button.

Jake furiously tried to break free from the chains… Perhaps he could destroy the wall instead. "I'll make you pay for this!" He was stopped by another shock.

"Wow… I never heard you threatening me like that… What a shame… Well… You will have to escape first anyway" He laughed and looked at his two prisoners. "Very well… I guess it was enough for a warm up…" He called the guards and ordered them to take the two to another room.

Some of the guards walked over to Jake, who started to fight them off, even thought he was still chained. In response, the Huntsman pressed another button. Jake's eyes widened and he suddenly lost consciousness. The guards finally managed to take the chains off him and drag him out of the cell.

"What did you do with him?" Rose shouted, with her voice still cracking, but full of fury.

"Don't worry. It was just a tranquilizing…" He said and motioned for the two other guards to take her.

Rose was still too weak because of the battle and the shocks. They grabbed her arms and started to take her out of the cell. Rose tried to struggle, but she didn't have any energy left…

They walked for a while through many dark corridors until they finally reached a room with a large and old wood door. The Huntsman opened it and walked in, followed by the guards and Rose. She shut her eyes when she was blinded by the bright lights of the room.

Gradually, her eyes started to adjust themselves to the light. She opened them, but regretted it a second later… It was the torture room… _"Oh no…"_

Minutes went by… Then hours…

Rose didn't know for how long she was in that horrible place. It could be five minutes or it could be five hours. But she didn't care… She just wanted it to stop. The pain was unbearable… Her whole body was aching and screaming.

But then her mind drifted back to Jake. She ignored all the pain while thinking if he was alright or if he was passing through the same situation as her. She was terrified about him more than she was about herself.

Rose snapped back to reality when she felt her body being stretched one more time. That hellish torture rack was killing her. One more turn of that wheel and she thought she would be split in two. "Please… stop… stop…" She whispered between whimpers. Tears started to escape her eyes. "Please…"

"I guess that was enough…" The Huntsman finally broke the eerie silence. Rose knew that he only said that because she was imploring. It was what he wanted. He wanted her to cry and beg for mercy… He was satisfied for now. "Let her save some strength for tomorrow…"

The torturers finally released Rose from the device and grabbed her by the arms again. She started to walk, but her legs stopped working and she was literally dragged back to the cell.

They threw her inside with violence and shut the door. Rose just stayed there lying on the floor. She couldn't even move…

Suddenly, Rose heard the cell being opened again. She looked up and saw the guards throwing Jake inside the same way they did with her. He was in human form and severely injured.

She ignored her aching body and ran to him. "Jake!" Rose looked up and saw the Huntsman standing by the door. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?"

"Well… It's rare for us to capture such a skilled and powerful dragon like him. We couldn't waste such a wonderful opportunity… Imagine how many Huntsclan apprentices would enjoy fighting with a real dragon for training!"

"WHAT? You… You…" She freaked out. They were using Jake as a live combat dummy? "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! I… AHHHHH!" She was stopped by another shock from that cruel bracelet again. She fell to her knees and tried to calm down her heart.

"I suggest you to don't do anything stupid… He will need you" He said and put a vial on the floor. "Here. Take care of him. We need him to be in perfect shape for tomorrow's session" The Huntsman said and turned around "From now on, you are going to be his nurse. He will do his work during the day and you will heal him during the night. Understand?"

Rose just stared at the healing potion. "I…" Then, she looked back at Jake and nodded with grief. "I understood…"

"Good" The Huntsman smirked. "You see? I'm not that evil. Thanks to me, you will finally be able to live the rest of your lives together" He closed the cell and looked at the two for the last time. "Good night" He said and left.

Rose slowly got up with the potion and walked over to Jake. She kneeled down and lifted his head. "Jake? Jake? Wake up…"

He didn't open his eyes. He just moved his hands, trying to find her. He mumbled something that sounded like "Rose".

"Drink this… It will make you get better" She said and spilled a bit of the potion inside his mouth. He swallowed it and they repeated that until the vial was empty.

Rose put the vial down on the floor again, tried to find a more comfortable position to sit and she gently put Jake's head on her lap. But then, Jake almost threw up. She panicked and massaged his neck. "No… Jake… Please, don't…" Luckily, he was able to hold it back. She sighed in relief.

Finally, he slowly opened his eyes. Jake wanted to tell her he was alright… But she knew it was not true. Rose tried to straighten his hair and clean his face the best she could.

"Don't worry… I'll take care of you… Please… Get better… Be strong… For me…" She whispered.

Jake just smiled in response before drifting back to sleep again.

"Why?" She put her arms around him and kissed his cheek before starting to sob. "_This can't be happening… This can't be happening…"_ She started to caress him, hoping that it would make him heal faster.

They just stayed that way for many hours. Rose just couldn't take her eyes off the boy in her lap, let alone sleep…

But, finally, her eyelids started to grow heavy…

Then, she suddenly woke up with a start when she heard people opening the cell. She looked down at Jake. He was still really hurt.

"Dragon… It's time" She heard one of the guards say.

"No! He isn't fully recovered yet!" Rose yelled, tightening her grip on Jake.

"Do you think we care?" He snapped back and entered with two others following him.

"No! Get out! Now! He needs more time!"

"I'm sorry, but his first battle of the day will start in five minutes. There's no way we can cancel it. The schedule is full"

Rose widened her eyes in horror. "No… Please… Just more two hours… I beg you…"

"We already gave him too much time" He said tried to take him off her arms.

"NO!" She kicked the man and lifted Jake in her arms. "You are not going to take him!"

Rose tried to run and was blocked by the two other guards. She backed away trying to find a way out, but she was trapped.

One of them grabbed Jake, but Rose kept holding him with all her strength. The two others tried to break them apart, but were having a tough time.

"Jake! Help me!" Rose said when she felt him slipping away from her grip.

He opened his eyes and… smiled to her. "Rose… No… Let me go… I'll be okay… I promise… I'll be okay"

She widened her eyes when they managed to take one of her arms off him. Now, the only thing that kept them together was her hand and his. "Jake… No!"

"Let go of him!" The guard yelled.

"Jake! Dragon-up! Get out of here!" She desperately said

"I can't… They will kill you if I go away…" He simply answered back.

"I don't care! Go! Save yourself! Please!"

"I can't…" He repeated. "See you tonight…" He finally said when their hands got separated by the guards. Rose desperately tried to grab it again, but she was held by the Huntsman, who suddenly showed up.

"NO!" She screamed.

"Don't worry. I assure you Jake will be alive when he comes back. We can't waste him" The Huntsmaster told her.

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?"

"Simple, my dear. It's my destiny, as it was yours…"

Rose started to scream and thrash around.

"Enough!" He yelled and violently threw her at the floor

"Guards! Bring me her meds!" He said and someone quickly gave him a medicine bottle and a glass of water.

"Rose, be a nice girl and take these. They will make you feel better"

She shut her mouth and started to turn her face away. She didn't want to find out what they would do to her.

Finally, he managed to put the meds into her mouth, but she spat them into his face. The huntsman roared in anger and cleaned it off.

"Sorry Rose, I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no other choice…"

He grabbed two other pills and plunged them into her mouth again. But before she could do anything else, he also forced the whole glass of water down her throat.

She started to cough uncontrollably. Then, she took advantage of the Huntsman's distraction and punched him in the face.

He yelped and dropped the glass of water, that crashed on the floor.

Rose got up and started to run, but everything got blurry and she felt her head starting to spin. She fell and her body stopped moving. It was hurting a lot. She looked up and saw the Huntsman's silhouette walking into her direction.

"No! Stay away from me! Go away! Go away!" She shut her eyes and waited…

"Rose!" She heard his cold voice echoing inside her mind… But then, something happened: the furious and terrifying voice of the Huntsman started to fade away and another one, sweet, caring and worried, started to become clearer.

"Rose?" She felt a hand touch her face.

She opened her eyes and saw none other than Jake kneeling down in front of her.

"Ja… Jake?" She was too confused to understand what was going on. "But how did you escape? What…"

"Shhh… Calm down… Everything is alright now…"

"No! It's not! We have to get out of here, NOW!" Rose yelled at him. "Fast! Before they find out we escaped! I don't want them to hurt you like that again!"

"Rose…" Jake sadly whispered and hugged her.

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**Well... What do you think will happen next? Any guesses? :P**

**Reviews are welcome, as always! :)  
You don't need to have an account. Just click on the link below. **

**Cheers and thanks for reading!**


	19. The Dying Slayer

**Hello everyone! :)**

**Sorry for the delay, but I had some problems deciding what to do next :P  
This is what came out.**

**I hope you like it! :)**

**Thanks for the reviews!**

******Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney.**

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**Chapter ****19: The Dying Slayer**

"Whatever you say, Huntschump! You will have to go through me first!" Jake said with confidence as he stood protectively in front of Rose.

"Jake…" He suddenly heard her say. He quickly turned around and noticed that Rose's eyes were getting distant and unfocused.

"Rose? Rose? What's wrong?" Jake said while lightly shaking her, trying to take her out of it.

"Huntsclan! Attack!"

The dragon panicked when he saw her eyes finally closing. "Rose? Rose, hang on! Don't…" Her weight shifted forward and he grabbed her. Jake looked around expecting to see a wall of Huntsclan members charging at them, but, to his surprise, nobody moved.

"Are you deaf?" The Huntsman yelled in frustration. "I said attack!"

Some Huntsclan members started to look at each other trying to know what to do.

"No way!" Finally someone said. It was… Number 88

"If you really expect us to attack them like this, then you have to find someone else to do the dirty job. We quit!" 89 added.

Jake and the others just stared with their mouths hung open. _"Did these two cowards just stood up against the Huntsman? OK… That's SO not right…"_

Needless to say, the Huntsman didn't take it nicely. "What?" He walked over to them. The trainees widened their eyes, hugged each other and started to tremble. He grabbed them by their clothes and lifted them into the air. "I'll take this as treason… You will perish just like ex-Huntsgirl… And anyone else that even thinks about betraying…" He was cut off by a blast that hit his arm, making him release the terrified boys.

He held the burnt spot and then looked around, trying to find out who was the poor soul that shot that blast. The Huntsmaster frowned when he saw number 18 with her staff smoking, staring back at him with a really angry face.

"I don't think so…" She said with venom in her voice. "You will not harm anyone else today!"

A minute later, the Huntsman was surrounded by his own clan. Just a few of the men stayed at his side, but they were trapped as well. "What is the meaning of this?" He furiously asked.

"Simple. We saw the truth by a different angle… And we didn't like it" Another young man said. All of them started to charge their staffs.

The Huntsman roared in frustration and started to activate his own staff while the remaining Huntsclan members did the same. He looked at Jake, who had a victorious smile on his face. "You will pay for this, dragon! All of you will…" Then, he looked at Rose and smirked. "Good luck trying to save her" He said under his breath and they disappeared in a bright green flash.

"Wow… What have just happened?" Fu dog confusedly asked while someone deactivated the energy cage. Lao Shi, Trixie, Spud and Sun now were free as well.

"I hope we didn't cause much damage. We are really sorry about this… About everything actually" 18 said while putting away her staff.

"Don't worry. The skulls were destroyed before the curse could be completed and nobody is really that hurt" Lao Shi answered.

Then, she looked at Spud and Trixie. "Uh… Sorry about… You know… Knocking you out, almost cutting your neck and… Blackmailing you…" She trailed off when she didn't know how to apologize.

"Nah… That's cool" Spud said with a smile. "At least you didn't try to kill me… Oh… Wait a minute… Nevermind… But I'm still ok with that"

"Spud!" Trixie yelled at him.

"What? She seems to be nice" He said, shrugging.

"Why did you do that anyway? I thought you hated magical creatures" Trixie asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Thanks to the American Dragon and Huntsgirl, we finally were able to see the Huntsclan's rotten side… All that story about magical creatures being worthless and that it was our destiny to destroy them… I mean… If this birthmark itself is really magical… It doesn't make any sense at all…" One of the former Slayers answered. "They always told us dragons were unable to love or care… But he dived from a 25-story building to save Huntsgirl…"

"Speaking of her…" 18 suddenly turned around and ran towards Jake and Rose.

Jake hadn't left Rose's side ever since she passed out. When he saw the former Huntsclan apprentice running into their direction he got up. "Stay away from her!" Jake angrily yelled.

"Calm down dragon! I'll not hurt her! Didn't you just see that I switched sides?" She said with an annoyed tone.

"How can I be sure? I still don't trust you…" He snapped back.

The red-headed girl sighed. "Look… Rose and were close friends back in the academy, ok? She is like a sister to me. I would never hurt her"

Jake hesitated. "Alright…" He finally said and moved out of the way.

"Rose? Can you hear me?" She said and lightly nudged her, but there was no answer. Then, something caught her eye. "Oh dear…" She removed Rose's glove and saw that her birthmark was still glowing red. "Sam! Take a look at this!"

"What is it, Kate?" He approached them and kneeled down as well.

"Rose's birthmark… It's still glowing" she answered.

"Uh oh… That's not good…" Sam said.

"What is happening with her?" Jake desperately asked.

"It's the curse" Sam said and started to examine her wrist.

"WHAT? But… How? She destroyed the skulls before it could be completed!"

"While it takes one minute for the curse to be fully released, if someone touches one of the skulls while they are activated… The person will be automatically cursed…" Sam explained.

"Rose… No…"

"Dragon… I think there's still a chance to save her, but you have to be fast"

Jake nodded and quickly lifted her in his arms. "C'mon Gramps! Let's go"

Everybody prepared to leave. The ones who couldn't fly hopped on the dragons' backs.

"What are you going to do now?" Jake asked Kate and the others, who were just standing on the rooftop.

"I don't know… We will probably stay on the low for a while before we decide what to do… There are a lot of things we need to sort out first, you know?" She answered.

"I understand… Anyway… Thanks for helping us" Jake said with a smile.

"No problems, dragon. When Rose wake up, tell her she owes me one, ok?" Kate said and smirked.

"I'll remember that" Jake said with a laugh and they flew off. "Goodbye and good luck!"

"Right back at you!" Sam said while waving, as were everyone else.

"I hope they can break the curse…" Kate said with sadness.

"Don't worry… They will…" Sam tried to comfort her. _"They have to…"_

Meanwhile…

Jake was constantly glancing at Rose while they flew. He was really worried. Just the thought of not being able to save her was making his stomach twist.

"Gramps… She is shivering…" He said and brought her closer to his body. Looking at her face, he noticed that she was suffering. From time to time, her muscles tensed as if there was electricity running through them and he could feel her heart racing. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know, grandson. We will have to study this curse with depth… Fu dog, did you send all the books to Jake's house?"

"Yes. And I even double checked the address"

"Let's go there then" Jake said and started to fly even faster.

Minutes later…

They landed and turned back to human after everybody was on the ground again. Jake got his keys with his dragon tail and unlocked the door.

When he opened it, he was surprised to find people in the living room, waiting for him. "Errr… Mom, Haley? You're awake?"

"Jake!" Susan got up with a big smile on her face, but then she looked at Rose and almost freaked out. "Jacob Luke Long! What is the meaning of this?" She scolded him. "Who is she? What…"

"Mom! Stop! She is dying. We don't have time… I'll explain everything later" He said while he walked over to the couch and laid her down.

Susan then looked at the door and realized that more people were coming in. "Dad? What's going on?"

"The Huntsclan retrieved all the Aztec skulls and almost destroyed the magical creatures. Rose was able to destroy them on time, but unfortunately she was cursed while doing so" Lao Shi answered.

"Rose? But how does she…" Susan trailed off when she saw her outfit. "A slayer? My son's girlfriend is a slayer?" She practically screamed.

"Susan, she is not evil. She have been on our side for months now" Lao Shi tried to calm her down.

"But she is a slayer! She can't… Jake just can't…" Susan put both hands over her face trying to understand.

"Fu! Go and get those books! We can't loose more time!" Jake said and turned to his mother. "Mom… Listen to me… Rose is a good person. She never chose to be part of the Huntsclan. She was taken from her real parents"

"Jake! She is lying! She is just using you!" Haley was shocked. She never thought Rose would be the Huntsgirl.

"No… She isn't…She really has changed. Please, don't judge her by the birthmark. She isn't part of the Huntsclan anymore. I know her more than anyone else… I love her…"

"How can you love her? She must have used some kind of trick to charm you. Please, be reasonable, do you think she really loves you?" Her mother said, looking into his eyes.

"I don't. I KNOW she does" He said dryly. "And I don't want to talk about this now"

Susan was going to snap back, but was stopped by Trixie. "Mrs. Long… No… Leave him alone"

She sighed and sat on a chair. Fu dog came back with some books and distributed them. "Here. It will be faster if everyone looks for information" They all nodded and started to read.

Then, Jonathan came downstairs. "Honey? What is all this fuss about? Oh my… What is going on here? Jake?"

All except Susan and Haley panicked. But, to everybody's surprise, he rushed straight to Jake and hugged him. "Thank God! Where were you? I thought I had lost you!"

"I'm ok dad. Don't worry… I… err… We…" He didn't know how to come up with a story to cover up all that mess. But he was stopped by his father.

"It's okay Jake… I know. Susan told me everything. I'm really proud of you" He said. Jake looked at his mother, who just smiled and nodded.

"Aren't you freaked out?" Jake asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Actually, I am… But I still love my family… And I always will… No matter if you are…" Jonathan paused and gulped. "Fire-breathing dragons… Sorry… I still need to get used to it" He said with a shy smile. "Although I somehow always knew there was something magical about my family"

"Believe me… There's something magical about you too"

"Thanks son" He said and ruffled his hair. "But now… Who is she and what happened to her?" He asked, referring to Rose. Everyone was now back to work and started to flip pages again.

"I don't have time to explain everything…" He said while un-doing her braid. "But long story short, Rose was part of an organization known as the Huntsclan, that wants to destroy all the magical creatures. Then, she switched sides and was helping us to stop their master plan. She was caught and they almost succeeded. But then, she destroyed the crystal skulls that were going to kill us all…" Jake finally managed to free her hair and straighten it, in a way he thought that would be more comfortable for her.

"Wait… You are telling me that that red glow thing…" Jonathan paled. "You all almost died?"

Jake nodded. "She saved our lives… But the curse fell on her instead…"

Jonathan looked at the girl on the couch and then back at Jake. "How can I help?" He said with his voice full of commitment.

"Try to find anything about the curse of the Aztec skulls" Fu dog said handing him a book.

"You… You talk?" Jonathan said, shocked.

"Yeah… Yeah… Try to skip the fainting part… We don't have time for that…"

It took him some seconds to recover, but then he just nodded in agreement.

Jake himself started to scan through a book as well, while his eyes switched from it to Rose. Now, her face was contorting and her breathing was uneasy. Jake tried to touch her, but it made her flinch. It pained him to see her like that, but there was nothing he could do. "Did anyone find anything?"

Everybody shook their heads.

"I actually found something… But it just says things that we already know…" Spud added.

"Hmmmm… Wait… I think I might have found something…" Haley said. Everybody turned their attention to her as she read. "The 13 crystal Aztec skulls were cursed with a variation of the Hagge Curse. It was laced with secondary spells in order to fit it to the skulls purpose… Hmmm… But nothing else about the curse itself… It just talks about the secondary spells"

"Hagge Curse? Fu, do you know anything about it?" Lao Shi asked.

"Hmmm… That rings a bell… But I have a bad feeling about it…" Fu answered and tried to look for a different book. He found it and started to scan through the index. "Here it is… Page 375…" He flipped the pages until he found the desired one. "Here it is… Uh oh…"

"Fu?" Jake didn't like that "uh oh".

"This is not good… The Hagge Curse was created two thousand years ago by a powerful evil wizard who wanted to destroy his opponents in their sleep, when they were more vulnerable. It was catalogued by English wizards during the sixteenth century. The name comes from _Hag_ or _Hagge,_ an evil spirit that was said to break into people's dreams and torment them to the point of insanity (For that reason, _Hagge_ is also an old English word for nightmare). The curse works in a similar way, plaguing the victim with horrible and amazingly real nightmares, usually tied with the person's deepest fears and regrets… The dreams can seem and feel so real that it's impossible to tell them apart from the reality. If the person wakes up while cursed, the nightmare will still be alive inside his or her head, leading to unpredictable behavior. The victim might even kill a close friend without even knowing it. The curse only comes to an end when…"

Jake gulped at that. "Go on… How do we break it?" Jake impatiently said.

"When the person dies in the dream…"

"So… She will wake up well afterwards, right?" Jake asked him, mentally crossing his fingers.

"… Also killing her in the real life…" He took his eyes off the book and looked at Jake. "I'm sorry kid… There's nothing else here…"

"Awww man!" Jake freaked out. "C'mon! There has to be a way to break the curse! Keep looking for it! We can't give up!"

Everyone nodded and continued to search through the pile of books. Jake turned his attention back to Rose. She was sweating. He put a hand on her forehead and realized she was burning. "Mom… Fast… Get some anti-fever pills and a glass of water…"

She nodded and went to get the medicine. A minute later, she came back with both. Jake put two pills in his hand, kneeled down in front of her and gently lifted her head. "Rose? Rose? Wake up…" He tried to be as subtle as possible.

She mumbled a little, but didn't open her eyes.

"Rose, be a nice girl and take these. They will make you feel better.." He said softly.

She started to turn her face away, refusing to take the pills. "Please…" He mouthed without sound. Finally, he managed to put them into her mouth, but she spat them. "Whoa!" Jake backed away when they hit his face. He cleaned it with his sleeve and sighed.

"Sorry Rose, I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no other choice…" Jake said and grabbed more two pills. He plunged them into her mouth and forced some of the water down her throat, making her start to cough.

To Jake's shock, a second later her fist hit his face with such a strength that made him yelp, fall on his back and drop the glass of water, which shattered on the floor.

She got up and started to run, but she tripped over a pile of books and fell. Jake saw her locking her terrified eyes on him.

"No! Stay away from me! Go away! Go away!" She desperately said, shutting her eyes and looking away.

Jake slowly walked into her direction. "Rose?" He kneeled down and put a hand on her face.

Rose slowly opened her eyes again and widened them in surprise. "Ja… Jake? But how did you escape? What…"

"Shhh… Calm down… Everything is alright now…"

"No! It's not! We have to get out of here, NOW!" Rose yelled at him. "Fast! Before they find out we escaped! I don't want them to hurt you like that again!"

"Rose…" Jake sadly whispered and hugged her.

"Will you cut that out? The Huntsman will…" Rose trailed off when she looked around. "But…"

"It was all just a dream… Don't worry… The Huntsman is far away from here…"

"No! It was too real to be just a dream… I… I…" She said exasperatedly, but was actually relived. "Please… Don't leave me alone… He will come after me… He will come after us" The last part was getting slurred.

Jake knew her mind was too confused because of the nightmare and the fever. He just helped her to get up and back to the couch. "He won't… Everything is going to be okay. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise"

Rose put a hand on her forehead and moaned. "Jake… What's happening to me?"

Jake bit his lip and dropped his head. "You… You are dying…" When he looked up again, he thought he saw Rose's ghost instead…

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**That was it for now :)**

**And yes. This chapter is parallell to the other one.**

**Next chapter comes soon.**

**On a side note: When I was developing Kate's character, I thought she would be an OC. But turns out she isn't! O.o  
The only characteristic I had on mind is that I wanted her to be red-headed. And... Guess what? There actualy IS a female red-headed Huntsclan member in the show! And I didn't realize this until yesterday! - lol  
And it's even implied that Rose knows her and it's probably friends with her! What a whack! :P**

**Watch "The Academy" and look for number 18. She even has a more prominent role than the other side characters in that episode!  
****I was shocked when I saw her - lol - This is about the second time something like this happens in my story - lol**

**At least Sam is an OC... Or I hope so - lol**

**Thanks for reading! Cheers!**

**Reviews are welcome! ;)**


	20. Promises

**Update! :D**

**Thanks for all your reviews! I really appreciate them.**

**Hope you like the new chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney. **

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**Chapter 20: ****Promises**

Rose was shocked. She felt all the remaining color she had on her skin disappear. "What?"

"It's the Aztec skulls curse… We are doing our best to find a way to break it…" Jake sadly said.

"But… I destroyed them… How can this be happening?"

Jake sighed. "When you touched one of the skulls, the curse immediately fell on you…"

Rose then just sighed and put both hands over her face. "What does the curse do?"

"It makes you have nightmares and then… When you die in the dream…" Jake started, but didn't have the courage to go on. But it was enough for Rose to understand.

"OK… I've got it…" She said and lied down again.

"Rose, please, stay awake… If you don't sleep you can't have the nightmare…"

"That's a lot easier to say than to do… My eyelids are heavier than lead… And my head is aching and spinning around so much that I feel it's going to knock me out…" She cried. "Jake… Don't give me false hopes… I know curses are practically impossible to break… I… I think it's too late for me…"

"There has to be a way!" Jake desperately said. "Rose! Please… Hold on…"

"I… I will try…" She answered with a weak voice.

Jake squeezed her hand, trying to give her confidence. "Don't try. Do it…"

She gave him a sad smile in response.

Jake then turned around. "Guys… Please… Tell me you found something…"

"I'm sorry son… Nothing so far…" His father answered.

At this point, Spud already gave up searching through the books and started to look for information with his laptop. "But we are doing our best…"

Jake turned his attention back to Rose and saw her eyes closing again. "Rose… Don't…" He said, nudging her.

"The lights are hurting my eyes…" She said while trying to keep them open.

"I can't turn them off… We can't read in the dark… And you will fall asleep…" Jake answered.

"Okay…" Rose mumbled. Jake thought that it would be better if they kept talking.

"So… Now that you are free from the Huntsclan, what are you going to do?"

"I… I don't know… I…" She paused, trying to find words to express herself. "I really don't know…"

Jake never thought keep a conversation going would be so hard. He didn't know what to talk about…

"I saw them… My family…" Rose finally said. "Through a screen… But I saw them… I saw my twin sister"

"How were they?" He asked, curious.

"Happy…" That's all she could say. "Do you think they miss me?"

"Oh..." Jake's heart shattered with that. "Of course they do…"

"She looks just like me…" Rose said with a smile. "I think you would have problems telling us apart"

"Of course not. I know my Rose"

She chuckled. "I doubt it"

"Want to bet?" He challenged her.

Rose tried to laugh, but it came more like a rough cough.

"Jake… Can I ask you something?" She said after some minutes of silence.

"Anything…" Jake answered, but what she said next caught him off guard.

Rose hesitated. "If I don't make it… Promise me you will not spend your life grieving over me… Promise you will move on…"

"What? Rose! Don't say that! You are not going to die!" Jake snapped back.

"Just promise me…" Rose begged him.

"I… I can't…" Jake couldn't believe his ears.

"We knew this wasn't going to last… It was just impossible…"

"Please, stop…" Jake's eyes were starting to water.

"Jake… Listen to me… I want you to have a long and happy life. You have a bright future ahead… Don't let it end like Romeo and Juliet… Find another girl… Be happy… I know there's someone out there who is your soulmate"

"Rose… No… YOU are my soulmate… I can't live without you… Don't leave me, please…"

"I know it will be hard… But time will heal the wounds… It always does… Trust me… Everything will be okay" She said, trying to comfort him. "I'll never leave you… I promise… Just please never forget me…"

"Please… Don't give up yet… Everything is going to get better now… You will finally be able to have a normal life… a family… We can finally be together… Please… Hold on…" Jake desperately begged her.

"I wish it could have been different… I'm sorry…" Rose sadly spoke.

"Rose… No… It's not fair…"

"I'll be okay. I'll be in a better place, you know?"

"No… You can stay… You just need to fight it…"

"I'm too weak…" She said, almost in a whisper.

Jake just kept shaking his head. "No… Don't do this to me… I can't let you go…"

"You can… You just need to be strong. And I know you are… Jake… Please, don't be selfish… If you really love me, just promise me you will do that… Please, do it for me…"

Jake hesitated while tears started to run down his face. "I… I promise…"

Rose smiled and put a hand on his cheek.

"I'll always be with you. Please, don't be sad…" She calmly said…

"Aren't you scared?" Jake asked.

"I am… But… I'm ready" She answered. "This is how it has to be… The Huntsman would come after me… He would hurt all the people I care about… This way… You will be safe… You will all be safe…"

"But…" Jake panicked when he noticed Rose's eyes getting unfocused and distant again. "Rose… No… No…" The glow on her birthmark became brighter, showing that the curse was starting to act again.

"Thanks Jake… For everything… I'll never forget you" She said while holding his hand. She had a comforting, but sad smile on her face. Her eyes were shining like never before. "I'll be waiting for you"

"I love you…" She heard him say.

"I… I love you too…" Rose tried to say, but her voice disappeared in the middle of the sentence. Everything started to get dark…

"Rose… Rose…"

She slowly opened her eyes again and saw herself back in the Huntsclan dungeon. She turned around and saw Jake on the floor, calling for her.

"Jake?" She rushed over to his side and paled in horror. He was even more hurt than before. The thing that really scared her was a deep cut close to his left ear. "No…" Then, she remembered it was all just a dream… It was just a nightmare… Or wasn't it?

"Rose… Please… Help me…" He begged her.

She widened her eyes. Dream or not, she couldn't let Jake die. Rose looked around and saw a box with many vials inside. She grabbed one of them and went back to his side.

"Jake… Drink this... Jake? JAKE?" She said and started to spill the potion inside his mouth, but It was too late. He didn't have any trace of life left in his eyes. She dropped the vial and started to shake him. "Please, say something! Anything! Don't leave me alone here!"

There was no answer. She closed his eyes and started to cry. Everything was so scarily real. No matter how hard Rose tried to remind herself that Jake was still alive in the real world, she couldn't stop crying. She just stayed there for many minutes, until...

"How does it feel knowing that you failed to save him?" She turned around and saw the Huntsman in the corner of the cell with his arms crossed.

"YOU! NO! I didn't fail to save him! This is all just a dream! I was cursed by the Aztec skulls and this is nothing but a nightmare! Jake is alive and well"

"What are you talking about?" The Huntsman paused. But then he snapped his fingers in realization. "Sorry to break your heart, but THIS is reality. What you think is real was actually just a dream. You fell asleep for almost a whole day because of the sleeping pills I gave you"

"No! You are lying!" She started to scream. "Jake is alive! This is not happening!"

"Let me get this straight… You really think that what is happening now is just a dream caused by the curse of the Aztec skulls? So you let your beloved dragon die because you think this is just a nightmare? Does that make sense to you? Face it. It's your fault. Now he is dead"

Rose was confused and terrified… Was that really happening? What was the dream and what was reality?

"Just finish me off! I can't take this anymore!" She yelled and fell to her knees.

The Huntsman smirked. "I would let you live and spend the rest of your days grieving… But I'll accept your request because I'm in a good mood today" He grabbed her by the neck and lifted her against the wall. "Any last words?" He added while taking a knife out of his pocket.

"I'm sorry Jake…" She said to the body in the floor and also to the Jake that was now probably crying because of her passing. Either way, she knew it was over…

Rose saw her whole life flashing in front of her eyes, especially the memories of Jake. She would really miss him...

When Rose felt the knife touching her neck, she started to scream, hoping that she would wake up safe inside Jake's embrace again… But she knew deep inside that it was not going to happen…

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**Well... That was it!  
(O.o)**

**The next chapter will be... the funeral :P  
Yes... I'm really evil, ain't I? **

**Thanks for reading!**


	21. Burying the Past

**Hello everyone! :)**

**Here is the new chapter! I'm in a hurry, so I'll not talk much this time.**

**Hope you like it.**

******Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney. **

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**Chapte****r 21: Burying the Past**

"It's with a heavy heart that we give our last goodbye to Huntsgirl..." councilor Andam sadly spoke.

It was a cloudy day, reflecting the mood of the occasion. Just a few people and some magical creatures attended to the funeral. Sun, Lao Shi, Fu Dog, Trixie, Spud, Jonathan, Susan, Haley were there. Jake just stood close to them with his head down. He didn't want anyone to see what he was feeling at that moment. He was in dragon form, like Lao Shi and Sun, while the humans were disguised, after all, this was not a normal funeral.

"She was born with the mark of the Huntsclan, taken away from her parents and raised to be a slayer since her earliest days. And, against all odds, she started to learn the truth by a different angle and finally chose what she really wanted to be… She gave her life to save the magical community and for that we all give her the highest honors and the most sincere thanks. You may now rest in peace and finally find happiness and comfort wherever you are" He paused. "God, our Father, we entrust Huntsgirl into your hands" Andam said and threw magical powder over the coffin. "From dust you came, to dust you shall return. Jesus Christ, our Savior, shall raise you up on the last day"

Jake slowly walked closer to the grave and kneeled down. He put a bouquet of roses next to the tombstone.

Huntsgirl  
A loyal friend and a brave warrior  
"Help me find a way to get where I belong"

"Goodbye…" He whispered and just stayed there for some minutes until finally getting up and going back to the side of his family.

As the councilor kept talking, Jake received many handshakes, hugs and heard "I'm sorry…" or "She will always be with you" from friends.

"Hey… I'm really sorry… Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" a dragoness that suddenly came out from nowhere said.

"No… Thanks… I'll be okay" Jake then recognized the voice and looked up in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Well… I just thought I should come and say goodbye to her too… I heard you two were really close…" She said.

Jake was a bit confused, but decided to keep the conversation going. "Yeah… We were…"

"How close?"

"I loved her…" He answered.

"Oh… I see…" She said softly. "If you ever need someone's shoulder to cry on, I'll always be available, ok? Just call me"

"Thanks…" He said, but then, something clicked inside his mind. "Hey… Are you flirting with me?"

"No… What makes you think that?" She nervously said.

"You know… This is not a good time…" He snapped back.

"Sorry… It's just that… You know that I love you, right? I was just trying to cheer you up…"

"Yeah, yeah… I know…" He uninterestingly said.

"Ouch… I just try to help you and this is how you treat me?" She said, pretending to be hurt.

"Well… This is not exactly the best time… If you didn't realize, I'm saying goodbye to the girl I love…"

"I still can't understand how you can love that slayer… She would murder you in your sleep"

"Hey! Don't say that! She loved me too! I know she wouldn't do such a thing"

"How can you be sure?" She mockingly said.

"Whatever… I'll not argue with you today… I'm not in the mood"

"C'mon Jake! She is dead! It's time to move on!"

"I'm sorry, but I'll always love her and I'm not going to let her go. Never"

"Faithful, huh?" She said with a smile and put an arm around Jake. "I like that"

"I suggest you to stop and get out of here before I do something stupid…" He threatened.

The dragoness quickly let go of him and backed away. "Wow… Ok… I'm going… I'm going… Geez… I'll call you later, ok?" She said and flew off.

Jake could just watch and shake his head in amusement. _"That girl is crazy…" _He thought.

The funeral went on normally and after some time everybody started to leave.

"Jakers? Let's go?" Jonathan said and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah… You know… This all seems so… weird… I still can't believe it's actually happening" Jake said, glancing at the grave for the last time.

"Don't worry son… Everything is going to be well in the end… You will see" He said with a comforting smile.

"I guess you are right" Jake answered and smiled back at him. "Thanks dad" And then they hugged.

Meanwhile…

"Huntsmaster?" The leader of the Huntsclan heard someone say.

"Yes?" He answered.

"Huntsgirl is dead. I've just came back from her funeral"

"Good. Are you sure you were not seen by anyone?"

"Yes, sir. I watched everything from a safe distance" The Huntsmember said.

"Good work. You may rest now"

"Thanks, master. So… And now? What are we going to do?" The man asked.

"Let's leave the American Dragon alone for a while. I want him to suffer before I have the chance to slay him" The Huntsman said with an evil smile and a sinister gleam in his eyes.

Jake's house, some hours later…

Jake heard his cell phone starting to ring. He grabbed it and looked at the caller ID. "Hello?"

"Hey… How are you?" He heard the voice say.

"Pretty fine I guess… But… What were you thinking? You could have ruined it all showing up like that!" Jake angrily said.

"Sorry… But I wanted to check up on you"

"That's not an excuse! What if they saw you?"

"Please… Do you really think they would recognize me? Besides… I must say that it was the worst angst act I've ever seen in my life. Not even an idiot would fall for it… You could have at least sniffed…"

"Oh c'mon! I want to see you do better, then!"

"Want to bet?"

"Uhhh… I'll skip that offer…" He said and heard person on the other side starting to laugh.

"So… You think it worked?"

"Yeah. They fell for it like a bucket of lead" Jake said with a large grin on his face.

"Yes!'

"So… Dinner tonight?"

"Absolutely!"

"Alright. I'll pick you up around seven. See you"

"See you, Dragon Boy"

* * *

**I know it's kind of short, but I just couldn't let you guys waiting for much time :P  
****Are you confused? Yes? Then, my work is done :P**

**As you can see, the "captured" plot was the dream and the "curse" plot was the reality. :)**

**Anyway... Don't worry, I'll explain everything in the next chapters. :P  
Yes, it's not the end yet! :D**

**You can stop throwing tomatoes at me now! :P**

**Cheers and thanks for reading!**


	22. Forever

******Here is the new chapter :)**

******Sorry for the delay, but I'm still really busy.  
Also, sorry for don't answering the reviews, but I just don't have time right now...**

******Anyway... Hope you like it :)**

******Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney. **

* * *

**Chapter 22: Forever**

"Thanks Jake… For everything… I'll never forget you" She said while holding his hand. She had a comforting, but sad smile on her face. Her eyes were shining like never before. "I'll be waiting for you"

"I love you…" Jake said with tears streaming down his face.

"I… I love you too…" She whispered and finally closed her eyes.

"Rose… Rose… Please… No…" Jake cried while he felt Rose letting go of him. He grabbed her hand and held it like his life depended on it. He tried to feel her pulse. It was still there, but really weak.

"Grandson…" He felt his grandfather put a hand on his shoulder. Lao Shi had a really sad expression on his face. Jake then saw that everyone stopped reading the books and just stood there looking at the couple with apologetic faces.

"What are you doing? We need to save her… We…" But he was stopped by Haley.

"Jake… We couldn't find anything…" She told him and dropped her head.

"I'm sorry kid…" Fu said.

"No! There has to be way! This can't end like this!" Jake yelled. "Please, tell me there's a way to save her!" He desperately begged. Then, he looked at his dad and an idea popped into his mind. "Gramps! The Ucrono Hourglass! I'll go to the past and prevent this from happening!"

"WHAT? Kid! That thing is not a toy! Mess with the past is too risky! You remember what happened last time!" Fu was shocked with that idea.

"This time is different…"

"Jakey! You don't know how that can change the present! She was cursed because she saved you all! What if by doing so you end up killing all the magical community?" Trixie said.

"I'll be careful…"

"Jake, Fu is right… She sacrificed herself to save all the magical creatures… If you…" Lao Shi started, but was cut off by an angry Jake.

"Do you really expect me to just sit here and watch her die? I've gotta do something! She doesn't deserve this! All she wanted was a normal life… She wanted to be with her family…" Jake paused as realization dawned on him. "Wait… I can give it to her! I can go back to the day she was born and prevent her from being kidnapped!"

"Whoa! Hang on just there! Even if you prevent the Huntsman from kidnapping her, this doesn't mean he wouldn't try again later!" Trixie told him.

"Then I will protect her. Haley can take my place as the American Dragon…"

"Now you are going too far!" Haley said. "You can't just give up everything to keep her safe! The magical creatures need you! We all need you here!"

"But…"

"Jake… Listen to me… I know you love her… But you have to let her go… You promised her you would…" Sun tried to reason him, but failed.

"I also promised that I wouldn't let anything happen to her!" He snapped back.

"I'm sorry Jake… We can't let you do this!" Fu said.

Jake roared in frustration. "I don't have any other option!"

"Actually… I think there's another way…" Lao Shi finally spoke.

"What? Gramps? What is it?" Jake desperately asked. "Just tell me! I will do anything!"

Lao Shi hesitated, but finally told what he was thinking about. "It's an old draconic legend… A long time ago, a dragon and a human girl fell in love with each other. Then, she was mortally injured during a battle against her own uncle, who betrayed her… But the dragon managed to save her…"

"Oh no… You are not thinking about… Gramps! He is just 14! I don't think he is ready for that! Besides, dragons don't do the bond ever since the Middle Ages!" Fu said, taken aback.

"The bond? What are you talking about?" Jake asked, confused.

"Well kid, the bond is a magical connection between two dragons who truly love each other. When you bond with someone, you share the same heartbeat and your spirits merge into just one" The dog answered.

"Wait… Is that kinda like a marriage? How can that help?"

"Yes and no… The bond is different. It's one of the most powerful magic that ever existed… It will make you both stronger. You will be able feel each other's emotions, worries and pain... If your spirits combined are strong enough, maybe you will be able to break the curse…"

"What happened to the girl of the legend?" Jake asked, curious.

"She survived… The dragon's shi combined with hers and she was transformed into a dragon… A dragon that was so beautiful and gracious that she is referred in many texts as The Celestial Dragon"

Jake had his mouth hung open. "What? Then… If I bond with Rose she will…"

"No kid… We can't know for sure. It's just a legend. There is no way of proving it really happened… The church destroyed all the files from the old dragon order during the inquisition times and the few things we know about it only comes from poems and tales. You see… dragons don't do the bond ever since the fifteenth century. We don't really know how it works…"

"But this will really save her? That's all I need to know"

"Probably… But also… If she doesn't make it, you will die with her"

Jake froze in place and thought about it for some seconds: It could transform Rose into a dragon… That would ruin all her chances of having a normal life… And he also could die trying to save her… But it was their only chance… At least she would live… He looked at Rose's pained face and finally made up his mind. "I'll do it… I'll take that risk"

"This is a really serious choice… It will be forever. There's no way to revert it"

"So? I actually want it to be forever" Jake simply said.

"I'll not allow you to bond with this slayer! It's just a teenage crush! You will regret it!" Susan yelled.

"No… It's not just a crush… at least not anymore… I gotta try… I have to… She deserves a second chance…"

Susan was going to snap back, but Jonathan stopped her. "Susan… No… I think Jake is old enough to make his own decisions" He turned to his son and smiled to him. "Do what you think is right. I trust you"

Jake returned the smile and turned to Lao Shi. "How do I do it?" He said, his voice full of determination.

"You need something to represent your alliance… Like magical rings or…" Lao Shi paused, trying to think about something else they could use.

"The bracelets!" Jake reached for his pocket and grabbed the black box Lao Shi gave him the day before. He put one of them on Rose's wrist and the other one on his own.

"Now… Hold her hands and think about all the things you two did together. You need to concentrate on your feelings for her and let them flow out of you"

Jake did as his grandfather said and started to remember the day when they met. His mind drifted off as the memories started to flash in front of his eyes.

"Repeat with me…" Jake heard Gramps speaking on a strange language and the weirdest thing happened: He somehow understood what Lao Shi was saying.

"_Once two separate hearts beat now as one. Two minds separated becoming one. Your life is my life and my life is your life. By the power of the dragon's heart I commit myself __to live with you forever"_

While the words naturally came out of Jake's mouth, a bright blue light started to surround his and Rose's bodies. Jake could feel something different happening. The memories started to go faster and faster… He felt his earliest emotions for Rose coming back to him. Then the pain of finding out she was Huntsgirl… The confusion, disappointment, doubt… Hope, followed by loneliness… Then happiness again… Then the fear, the worry… The fear of being discovered and torn apart by the fate…

Everyone stepped back as the blue flames started to grow bigger and bigger. A yellow light started to come out of Rose's body while the blue that came out from Jake's started to swirl around it until they mixed together, producing an even brighter white light. The bracelets started to float in the air until they touched, forming the taijitu.

Jake could feel Rose's spirit merging with his. _"Just finish me off! I can't take this anymore!"_ he heard a voice on the back of his mind. She was scared and confused. _"Rose! No! Hold on!" _He mentally called out for her, but felt something blocking it. He knew exactly what it was: The curse. Jake returned to his memories... He had to find something stronger... Something that could allow him to break through it...

"I love you" These three words Rose told him while they were at the Central Park echoed inside his mind. "_I can't lose her!" _Jake's subconscious screamed and everything started to get darker.

"_I'm sorry Jake..." _

Jake's eyes widened when he heard a scream. He looked around and realized he was in a dungeon… He was now inside Rose's dream. He dragoned up and started to fly as fast as he could, trying to find her… "Rose!"

"Jake?" Rose opened her eyes and tried to free herself from the Huntsman's grip. "Jake! Help me!"

"He is dead... He can't help you…" The Huntsman coldly said and tightened the grip on her neck.

"He is lying! This is just a dream! You have stop this!" She heard Jake getting closer and closer.

"I can't!"

"Yes, you can! It's your dream! You can control it!"

"Say goodbye..." She suddenly realized it wasn't the huntsman holding her anymore... It was her birthmark. It was coming out of her wrist, encircling her and suffocating her with nothing but darkness..

"Jake! Please! I can't do this alone!"

"I'm here with you! We will go through this together! We…"

Rose opened her eyes and finally saw Jake... But he was being dragged down by the shadows as well.

"Rose! Please!"

Something snapped inside of her. She was surrounded by yellow flames and finally broke free from the shadows. "JAKE!" Rose felt a flow of energy and started to fly into his direction. But it seemed that the faster she was, the bigger was the distance between them.

She closed her eyes and concentrated. She had to defeat this curse. "_I can do this!"_

And their hands finally touched. A bright white light covered everything...

* * *

**So, this is what really happened.  
Any guesses about what happens next? :P**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: The bond was actually an idea from Onej6 (Enemies by Blood - a great story - if you didn't read it yet, I suggest you to do so).  
So, the credit goes to him. I asked for permission to use it, of course. (Onej6: I hope you like the way I made the allusion to your story. :P)**

**Well... That was it. Thanks for reading!  
**


	23. When Dreams Come True

**Well... After a long time without news... Here is the new chapter.**

**Things are going from bad to worse... Too many stuff to do...  
But... well.. That's life. ****XD**

**I'll reply the reviews here this time:**

**Onej6: I'm glad you liked it! :) I really have to thank you for the idea. :)  
I hope you enjoy this one too. PS: I still need to review the new chapters of your story too :P Sorry... didn't have time...**

**Fudogg: Thanks! :) I hope you like the new chapter!**

**StrayBullet69: Well... You are going to understand it soon enough :) Hope you like the new chapter!**

**Hezpeller: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. I hope you enjoy this one too.  
PS: I still need to review your new chapters/ stories... Didn't have time yet - Sorry :P**

**Noble6: Thanks! :D I'm glad you are enjoying it. Don't worry :) You will figure out everything soon enough! :D  
Hope you like this one too! :)**

**Marcie Gore: Thanks! I hope you like this one too!**

**ada69: Thank you so much! :D  
I really appreciate your words! I hope you like the new chapter. Sorry for the delay... But things are a bit hard aroubd here now :P**

**Anyway... Here we go!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney.**

* * *

**Chapter 23: When Dreams Come True**

"Jake?" He woke up with someone gently shaking him. It was his mother.

"Mom? What..." He was cut off by a really tight hug. "Can't... breathe..." He coughed.

"Don't do this to me ever again!" She yelled and let go of him.

"It's ok mom" Jake said trying to calm her down. He looked around. Everyone was worriedly staring at him and sighed in relief when they saw he was awake again.

"It's good to have you back bro! You have been out for like... almost one hour or something" Spud cheerfully said.

"I'm proud of you, young dragon" Lao Shi said with a warm smile on his face.

"Did it work?" Jake asked, although he could feel through their bond that Rose was alright.

"She is still asleep" Sun told him. Jake smiled in response and got up. He walked over to the couch and looked at the girl who was peacefully sleeping. The smile that was written all across her face brightened up Jake's heart. He put a stray of hair that was on her face behind her ear and couldn't help but smile too. They've made it.

"Jake... There's more..." Jonathan told him.

"What?" Jake turned around to face his father.

He hesitated. "I... I think I know her parents..."

Jake almost fainted. "What? But... How?"

"There's a man who works with me at the office... His name is James Collins. He has a wife, Violet, and a daughter. Her name is Luna and... She looks exactly like Rose..."

"Are you sure?" Jake asked, feeling really excited about it.

Jonathan nodded in response. "When I saw her I thought she was Luna… Jim has always told me he lost one of his daughters when she was born… So I managed to put the pieces together" He added with a smile.

"I can't believe it!" Jake exclaimed and ran to his father. "Thanks dad! You are awesome!" He said and hugged him.

"No probs Jakers! Maybe I should call Jim and tell him the news" He told his son.

"Yeah. But… try to be smooth… I'm not sure about how they will react when we say that we found their daughter who was kidnapped fourteen years ago…" Jake commented.

Meanwhile, at another house in New York…

The phone suddenly started to ring, waking up the whole family.

"Oh… C'mon… who would call at this hour?" The man said as he looked at the caller ID and then groaned.

"Who is it?" His wife asked with a yawn.

"It's Jonathan…" James told her and picked up the phone.

"Hey Jim! What's the news buddy? How was your family trip?" He heard the person on the other side cheerfully speak.

"Long? Do you know what time is it?" he mumbled still half-asleep.

"Yeah… I know… It's past 4 in the morning… But this is really important…"

"It'd better be… What did you mess up this time?"

"Well… Actually I need help with some papers and… ouch" There was a pause while Jim heard what sounded like "sorry Jakers". He raised an eyebrow at that. "Errr… I mean… No… I didn't call you because of that…"

"Then what is it?" He was starting to lose his patience.

"Well… I… err… We kind of… I mean…" He started to stutter.

"Aww man! C'mon dad! Give me this phone!" He heard someone else say on the other side.

"Uh… Hello? Mr. Collins? It's Jake… Jonathan's son"

"What is this all about? Will you just say it? We want to get back to sleep here…"

"Sorry for disturbing you… But it's really important… Hmm… I know it will sound weird but… Hmm… Tell me… How many daughters do you have?" He shyly asked.

"Only one. But why do you want to know this?" He suspiciously asked.

"Does she have… a wavy blond hair and deep blue eyes?"

"Alright… This has gone too far! If I…" But he was cut off by Jake.

"Does she have a twin sister?"

James froze at that statement. "What?"

"Does your daughter have a twin sister?" He repeated.

"I… How do you know about that?" He paused. "She had… But we lost her"

"Did she have a dragon-shaped birthmark on her right hand?"

"Yes… She had…" Jim was fully awake now. He was shocked. "She was kidnapped by a kind of cult who believes that magical creatures exist and that it's their destiny to destroy them… We tried to find her… But the police gave up… They told us she was probably dead…"

"No. She is alive… She is here now"

James widened his eyes. "Is this a joke? Because it's not funny!" He yelled, don't believing his ears.

"Honey…What is going on?" Violet asked him, but he was too busy listening to Jake.

"No. It's not a joke. She is here. You have to believe me. Rose is here!" He spoke so loud that even Violet could hear.

"Rose?" The woman widened her eyes. "My Rose? No… It just can't be!"

"Can I talk to her?" Jim said with his voice cracking. It felt more like a dream.

"She is sleeping… I don't want to wake her up… We all have been through hell this night… She deserves some rest…" Jake said.

"But… How did you… What…" Jim started to tremble with anxiousness.

"It's a long story… But you have to trust me. Can you come here now?"

The two didn't know what to say. They thought it was a prank… But Jake's tone was too serious to be that. Besides. How could he know her name was Rose if they never told him? Violet simply held his husband's hand nodded to him.

"OK. We are going" He said.

"But make sure no one is following you. I have reasons to believe you are being watched"

They paled. "But… By who?"

"The Huntsclan… The same people who kidnapped her… I'll tell everything when you get here. Please, be careful"

"We will be" Jim said, his voice full of determination.

"You know the address?" Jake asked.

"Yes, don't worry. We will be there in some minutes"

"Call us if you get into trouble. See you"

"Bye" Jim said and hung up. He stayed some minutes staring into nothing, trying to understand what was happening.

"Jim? What are we going to do now?" Violet asked, gently shaking him.

"Wake Luna up and get ready. We don't have time to lose"

"I'm already awake" They heard someone say. There she was, standing by the door with her blue eyes full of hope looking straight into them. "Did we really find Rose?"

"Sweetheart…" Violet rushed to her daughter and hugged her. "We don't know yet… But I really hope so"

Back to Jake's house…

"Well… Looks like it's really them. They are coming now" Jake cheerfully said after hanging up.

"That's great!" Trixie said with a smile. Then, something unexpected happened… "What the…"

Everyone flinched and some of them covered their ears.

Jake simply chuckled and sat down next to Rose. He already knew she had snoring problems, but he couldn't care less. It didn't sound like a gravel in a blender to him. It was more like a purr. He started to playfully tickle her nose, just to see what would happen next. "Rose… Rose… Wake up sleeping beauty…" He said with a smile.

Rose mumbled some words and turned around on the couch. "Just more five minutes, please…" In response, he just leaned down and kissed her.

She opened her eyes in surprise. "Jake?" It took her some minutes to realize what was going on. Then, she just hugged him really tight and didn't say a single word. She just kept her eyes closed, enjoying the moment. "I thought I would never see you again…" She spoke softly.

"Me too…" He answered, fiddling with her hair. "Don't worry. Everything is over now… I'm sorry Rose… I… I broke my promise… I just couldn't let you go…"

"But… How?" She asked, really confused.

"Don't you feel anything different?" Jake shyly asked.

"What do you mean?" Rose said. She looked down at herself trying to find something off, but couldn't see anything… Except maybe for a bracelet on her wrist. "What is this?" She started to think about it and finally felt something. "I… Feel something different… I can't describe it…" It wasn't something bad. Actually, it made her feel comfortable and safe, something that she didn't feel for a long time. Then, she realized that the "something" was Jake himself. "But… What… how?"

Jake bit his lower lip. "We… Are kind of… bonded… Through mind, heart and spirit…"

Rose widened her eyes. "Wait… What do you mean?"

"It was the only way to save you…" He said as he held Rose's bracelet and joined it with his own. "Rose… We are officially together… Forever"

"Are you saying that… we are… married?"

Jake just nodded. "In a kind of way… yes… But not exactly… We aren't married… I mean… It's complicated… We are just… connected" Jake said and dropped his head. "Together we were able to break the curse… The bond made us stronger…"

"Jake…" She said with a smile and lifted his head. Before he could do anything else, Rose wrapped her arms around him again.

"Aren't you angry?" He confusedly asked.

"Why would I be angry? I… I just don't know what to say… I…" She gave a quick laugh. "Actually, I've never felt so happy! Thank you Jake, for everything… I mean everything"

"Hey… What else could I do?" Jake answered feeling a little better.

"By the way… From where did these bracelets come from? They are so neat" Rose said playing around with them.

"Gramps gave them to us" Jake answered. "And he also was the one who told me about the bond… If it wasn't for him… I don't know what I would have done…"

Rose turned to Lao Shi, who just smiled back at her.

"Thank you" She said.

"You are welcome. It was the least I could do… These bracelets belonged to me and Jake's grandmother… Now, they are yours. They represent your alliance. Take care of them, ok?"

"We will, don't worry" She answered.

"I'm sure they are in safe hands"

"Thanks Gramps…" Rose hugged the elder man. He wasn't expecting for that, but eventually returned it.

Soon, she was greeted by the others too:

"I'm glad you are alright" Spud said.

"I second that. A-goo-goo-goo" Fu said.

"Welcome back, Rosie" Trixie said, sitting by her side. "You don't mind me calling you Rosie, do you?"

"Not at all" Rose answered with large grin. Then, she saw her Home Economics teacher in the room. "Ms. Park?"

"Rose… I've told you a thousand times… Call me Sun, ok? And yeah… I'm a dragon too"

"Well… That was… really unexpected" She playfully commented.

Suddenly, Jake coughed, trying to get her attention. "Hmmm… Rose… This… is my family"

Rose widened her eyes and paled. She quickly tried to hide her right hand, hoping that they didn't see the birthmark yet. She was feeling really nervous. It was a really… awkward situation. "Uhh… Hello…" She sheepishly said. Then, she realized they already knew, because Susan and Haley were glaring daggers at her. Jonathan, on the other hand, was just smiling. "Please… Listen… I know it seems weird but… I really love Jake. I would never hurt him. Just please give me a little chance…"

Susan looked at her son, who was silently begging. She finally sighed and broke the silence. "Alright. But just one slip and you're gonna to get it, understand?"

"Oh yeah… You will…" Haley added. "No one hurts my brother… Except for me maybe…"

"Haley…" Jake scolded her.

"Oh… C'mon familia… Don't you think you are being a little too harsh on her?"

"Well… They do have a point…" She said under her breath. "I'm a slayer… They have the right of hating me…" Rose just dropped her head in shame. "Even I hate myself"

"Rose… Please don't get that thing started again…" Jake said trying to comfort her. He shot an angry glare at his mother and sister. They looked away, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Anyway… How come I've never heard about this 'bond' thing?" Rose finally asked, trying to change the subject. The curiosity was getting the better of her.

Some minutes later…

"I think I understand it now…" Rose said after Fu explained everything. "But… How can I be bonded with Jake if I am not a dragon?"

"Well… That's the thing… Hmmm… How can I tell you this?" Jake nervously said. "Maybe you are…"

Rose widened her eyes and her heart started to race. "What?"

Jake hesitated "There's a little chance that the bond also… Transformed you into a dragon" When he looked at her eyes again, he realized Rose had zoned out. "Rose?" He was afraid she was going to faint.

Then, he felt her gripping his arm. "Are you sure?" She asked, her voice shaking.

"We can't know for sure… There's an old legend that says it once happened to another girl during the Middle Ages… But we have nothing to prove it" Fu dog said.

Rose suddenly got up and walked to the middle of the room. "Then… There's just one way to know for sure…" She paused. "How do I do it?"

"Concentrate and imagine yourself in dragon form. Let the magic flow and engulf your body…" Lao Shi explained, but was cut off by Jake.

"Try saying 'dragon up' too" He added and received a glare from his grandfather. "What? It works with me"

"Alright… I'll try it…" Rose said with a chuckle. She closed her eyes and did what they said. "Dragon up"

Nothing…

"You have to mean it" Jake tried to encourage her.

"Dragon up" Rose tried a little louder.

Still nothing…

"Dragon up! Dragon up! Oh… C'mon! Please! Dragon up!" Rose started to get nervous. It definitely wasn't helping.

"Dragon up!" She insisted. "Why isn't it working?"

"Rose… You don't need to do this… dragon or not… You will always be the same Rose to me…" Jake tried to comfort her.

"No... I just have to keep trying... " She closed her eyes again and concentrated even more. She breathed in and out slowly, trying to calm down and pictured herself in dragon form again…

"Dragon up!" Rose suddenly felt something but it faded away as soon as she lost the concentration. Then, she remembered about her nightmare… When she broke free from the shadows… It felt exactly the same.

"_I have to do this… for Jake…" _Rose closed her hands into fists and threw her arms high up into the air. "DRAGON… UP!"

Everything seemed to go in slow motion while the yellow flames gracefully swirled around her and turned brighter and brighter. Rose was too afraid of opening her eyes, fearing that it would be just another dream…

The next thing she knew, Jake was holding her face, trying to make her look at him. "Please… Let me see your eyes… I want to make sure it's really you…"

She slowly opened them and saw him in dragon form with his dark eyes watering with happiness. Rose felt she could drown in them.

"Rose?"

"Jake... It's me… How… How do I look?"

"You are… Beautiful"

* * *

**Yay! Now, Rose is a dragon! How cool is that? And she is going to have another surprise really soon. :D**

**For those who are confused: Keep in mind that the chapter "Burying the Past" happens a few days after this. Yeah: It's not in chronological order (At least only that chapter) The next one will be the bridge that is going to put everything in the right place.**

**This is getting closer to the end. I think there will be just more 2 chapters and an epilogue. :P**

**Well... Thanks for reading! Cheers!**


	24. Silver, Blue and Gold

**Hello folks :)**

**Here is another chapter. Thanks a lot for your reviews!**

**Onej6: Well... I still need to come up with a new plot. But probably yes. :)  
It will also depend if more people want it too. Hope you like this one too.**

**Fudogg: Certainly it will. :D  
But it will happen only in the next chapter. Anyway, hope you enjoy this one too.**

**ada69: Thanks! :)  
They probably will, after all, now she is a dragonn too. :)  
Hope you like the new chapter.**

**Noble6: Thanks a lot! :)  
Hope you like the new chapter.**

**Hezpeller: Thank you so much! :)  
Probably. It's fun to write - lol - I Hope you enjoy this chapter**

**Marcie Gore: Thanks! Hope you enjoy the new chapter :)**

**So... Here we go! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. ****They belong to Disney.**

* * *

**Chapter 24: Silver, Blue and Gold**

There she was: Rose… A girl who was marked as a Huntsclan member … Someone who was expected to be a slayer just like any other… Transforming into the creature that she was taught to despise…

"DRAGON… UP!"

Everyone in the room watched with amazement while the yellow flames engulfed her. It all seemed to happen in slow motion… When it finally stopped, where Rose was standing a few seconds earlier, there was a beautiful looking dragoness…

Jake couldn't believe his eyes… She looked almost exactly like on their dream date… Only more gracious… If that was even possible: She had a tall and slender body, white belly and pink scales, but with shades of sapphire blue that matched her eyes. Her golden hair cascaded around her shoulders and then turned into the spikes that ran across her body and tail. The traces of her human face could still be seen through her draconic features. But there was something missing…

He slowly started to walk into her direction and turned into dragon too, in order to stay at the same eye level as her. He gently lifted her face and studied it with care. She was tense and kept her eyes shut.

"Please… Let me see your eyes… I want to make sure it's really you…" Jake anxiously whispered.

She did as he said and slowly opened them. Jake's heart skipped a beat when he saw the same warm blue eyes that always managed to take his breath away staring back at him. "Rose?"

"Jake... It's me..." She finally managed to say. "How… How do I look?"

"You are… Beautiful" He answered not taking his eyes off her. "The most beautiful dragon I have ever seen…"

Rose was dumbfounded. She looked around and her eyes locked on the others, who just continued to stare at her without moving a single muscle. Finally, Haley shook her head to get out of the trance. She reached for the purse that was on the center table and grabbed an object.

"Here…" Haley said with a shy smile and handed Rose a little mirror.

Rose grinned when she saw her reflection. She spread her wings and just admired her new self. It was beyond any of her most distant dreams. But then, she froze. The mirror came down and crashed on the floor.

She didn't say a single word. Before Jake could do anything to stop her, she ran to the door and flew off the house.

"Rose! Wait!" Jake shouted and went after her.

"Leave me alone!" She answered and started to fly even faster…

Meanwhile…

"Are we getting there yet?" Violet anxiously asked her husband.

"Yeah…just some more minutes and…" But he was cut off by their daughter.

"Dad… That car is following us" She nervously warned his father.

Jim looked at the mirror of the car and saw the black sedan that was tailing them since they left the house. "Oh no… You won't…" He narrowed his eyes and started to think about a way of losing them. "Vi, call 911 and tell the police about our situation…"

"Do you really think they will arrest them?" She snapped back.

"No. I just want a distraction…"

Violet nodded and followed his instructions.

Soon enough, they saw a police car waiting on an alley. The officer motioned them to accelerate. A second later, he turned on the siren, hit the gas and then stopped in the middle of the road, blocking the way.

Luna looked back and saw the officers getting out of the vehicle and starting to interrogate the people in the black sedan.

Jim made a sharp turn to the left and parked the car on the sidewalk. "Fast! Get out!"

The family quickly opened the doors and ran away from the car. They spotted a taxi near by and Violet called it.

"Act as if there was no one here. We will explain later" She nervously told the driver after they got in. Before he could object, they all dived and hid between the seats when they heard a car speeding and then stopping behind them…

"They ditched the car" One of the men said.

"C'mon. They can't have gotten that far" And with that they entered their car and drove away.

Luna peeked out through the window and saw the Huntsclan members suspiciously looking back at the cab. But then they just turned they attention to the other side and the sedan disappeared on the corner.

"That was a close one…" She commented with a sigh of relief.

"What have just happened? Are they criminals?" The taxi driver asked them.

"You could say that" Jim said. "Thanks for helping us"

"No problems… Now… Where to?" And then Jim gave him the address

At the Central Park…

Rose just kept flying. It felt amazing to be a dragon. It was an indescribable sensation, but her head was busy with other things. Then, she spotted the Central Park and started to descend. She wanted to be alone for a while. Suddenly, Rose remembered an important detail: she didn't know how to land!

"This is going to hurt…" she closed her eyes and tried to touch the ground with her feet. But she was too fast and ended up rolling forward a couple of times. She turned back to human and her head hit a tree. Rose moaned while stars danced around her eyes.

"Rose! Are you alright?" She heard Jake calling her.

"I think so…" she answered, rubbing the sore spot on her head. Jake helped her to get up.

"Why did you fly off like that?" Jake asked with concern.

Rose simply dropped her head and walked over to a bench, with Jake following her. "I don't know… I…"

"Just tell me the truth…" Jake said while sitting down by her side.

Rose sighed. "This…" She said and dragoned up her right hand.

Jake was confused. "huh?"

"Jake… The birthmark… I still have it in my dragon form…" She sadly answered.

"So what?" Jake was clueless.

"SO WHAT? Jake… I… I just can't have this! How can a dragon have the mark of the Huntsclan? I... I don't understand... I thought I would finally be free from this... But... It doesn't make any sense... How can this be possible?"

Jake regretted his last words. Now he understood why she was so upset. "Rose... I..." But he didn't know what to say.

"But what am I? I'm not a slayer anymore… I'm not a dragon… I'm not human…" She said while a tear slid down her face. "I'm a aberration …"

Jake instinctively embraced the sad girl and tried to think about something to tell her. "You are not an aberration, Rose. Far from that… You are special. You are unique. You are Rose… And just Rose. You don't need to be anything else"

"But this mark…" She tried to say, but was cut off by Jake.

"It means nothing. You are the living proof of that" He held her hands. "It doesn't matter what it means. What matters is what you have in your heart"

Rose felt lost and helpless for a second. She didn't know what to say or do. But then she felt something flow into her soul and comfort her. It was her bond with Jake. He was trying to comfort her from the inside. She looked at his concerned eyes and everything that was on her mind just vanished.

"You are free now. You can be whatever you want to" He said with a smile.

She wiped her tears. "Thanks Jake… I don't know what I would do without you…"

"Neither I…" He softly whispered.

"It's funny, isn't it? A few hours ago we were at this same bench… We didn't have a clue that all of this would happen tonight…" She finally broke the silence.

"Yeah…"

"Jake… What do we do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… All I have is you… I don't have a place to stay… I… I don't have anything to live for…"

"Trust me… We are going to sort everything out. You will see. Don't worry"

"I'm just worried about the Huntsman… He will come after us… He will want revenge…"

"I promise he won't hurt anyone…"

"That isn't enough… It will be easy for him to locate me… He can use me to get you… I don't want that to happen…" She paused. "Maybe it was better if I had died…" Then, an idea popped into her mind. "Wait… That's it!"

"WHAT? Rose? What are you talking about?" Jake asked in horror. What was she planning?

"Jake! It's like in Romeo and Juliet! We can make the Huntsman think I died!"

It made sense. "But… Rose… That didn't end really well in the story, remember? Besides… Don't you think he will eventually find out?"

"Well… It worth a try… At least we will have more time to cover everything up. When he find out, there will be no way for him to follow any lead"

"Rose… You are a genius!" Jake playfully told her. "I never would've thought about something like that!"

"Now… There's just one problem… How are we going to do that?" Rose said putting a hand on her chin. "Any ideas?"

"Hmmm… I think I have one… But I need to talk to the others…"

"What is it?" She curiously asked.

"A funeral service"

Rose paled a little. "Okay… That will be kinda awkward…"

"Yeah…I know… Maybe we should think of something else…" He started, but was cut off by Rose.

"Hey… I said it would be awkward, not that it was a bad idea" Rose said with a chuckle. "What about a funeral for 'Huntsgirl' instead? It wouldn't be such a lie, if you know what I mean"

Jake pondered about it for some seconds, trying to understand what she had just said. "Wait! I got it now! It's going to be the funeral of your Huntsgirl persona!"

Rose nodded with a large grin. "Exactly. It will not be a complete lie because nobody will ever see her again" She said with a wink.

"You see? Everything has a solution"

"Really, Dragon Boy?" She maliciously said. There was a little trace of her Huntsgirl tone in it, but in a really more caring and playful way. "You don't know for how long I wanted to use this nickname again"

Jake felt shivers run down his spine. "I didn't hear you calling me that way for a long time… You don't know how wrong it sounds now…"

"What can I do? It stuck." She said with a smirk. "Get used to it. You will hear that nickname a lot from now on"

"I hope so" Jake commented with a laugh. "So I guess I need to come up with a nickname for you too"

"If you want… Just please don't dare to call me 'Rosalicious' or I'll smack you" She said with a grimace.

"hmmm… my flower?" Jake tried.

"Too obvious…"

After some minutes trying different nicknames, Jake finally gave up. "Aww man… C'mon Rose! It's hard coming up with something you like…"

"Sorry… Maybe I'm being a bit childish…"

"What if we keep… Huntsgirl?"

"No… Anything but that… Please…" She begged him. "It brings back many bad memories…"

"Sorry… 'Dragon Girl' then?"

"Does that sound good to you?" She answered dryly.

"I ran out of ideas…" Jake said with his head down.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you will eventually come up with something"

Jake smiled and they just sat there together for some minutes, looking into the sky. The sun was appearing through the horizon and started to brighten the new day. Silver, blue and gold were the colors that tinged that beautiful morning. To Rose, it was not only a new day, but also a new beginning. Then, her eyelids started to grow heavy.

"Are you still tired?" Jake asked.

"Yeah… A little…" She answered.

"C'mon… Let's get back home. I think you need some more hours of sleep"

"Are you calling me lazy?" She playfully asked him.

"No… I… I didn't mean… err…"

Rose giggled. "I can't believe you still get nervous when talking to me. It's amusing to watch"

"Oh… Really?" Jake maliciously said. She didn't like his tone. "By the way, your snoring is cute"

"I don't snore!" Rose snapped back outraged. But she was red as an apple.

"Oh yes… You do. Like a gravel in blender"

"I said I don't snore!"

"Want me to record it and prove it to you?" Jake said with a smirk. It was funny to annoy her.

Rose sighed. "Alright… You won… Yeah… I snore sometimes… Is it that bad?"

"Nah. I was just playing around with you"

She punched him in the arm. "Jerk"

"At least not as jerk as Brad, right _Rosalicious_?"

She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Say that again and you are dead"

"You got to catch me first, _Rosalicious" _He said while turning into dragon and flying away.

"NOW YOU ARE GONNA GET IT!" Rose screamed. She did the same and went after him. Then, they started to play around for a while. "_This is WAY better than the dream" _She thought with a smile. She finally felt alive again.

* * *

**Well... What do you think? :P**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Next one comes soon, I hope. :)**

**Cheers!**


	25. Family

**********Update :D**

**********Hezpeller: Thanks! Here is the new chapter :) Hope you like it.**

**********ada69: Thank you!  
************OK. I'm working on that XD  
Let's see how it turns out :P**

**********Fudogg: Here is the new chapter. Hope you enjoy it :)**

**********Noble6: Yeah. It still kind of bothers me that they didn't do something like that on the show. It would be awesome! XD  
Well, hope you like the new chapter.**

**Onej6: Thank you! Hope you enjoy the new chapter! :)**

**Marcie Gore: Thanks! Here it is. Hope you like it :)**

**Here we go again. :D**

**********Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney.**

* * *

**Chapter 25: Family**

"Jake! This is amazing!" Rose exclaimed while making flips in the air.

"It is" Jake said as he watched her. "Did I mention how graceful you are?"

She shyly smiled back at him. "Hey! Do you think I can breathe fire too?" She cheerfully asked.

"I don't know… Try it" Jake answered. "Just breath in and let it come out" He said and demonstrated.

Rose concentrated, trying to find the heat inside of her. She slowly gave a long breath and closed her eyes…

Jake started to laugh uncontrollably at the scene: Rose started to cough after puffing just a little bit of black smoke.

"That's… (cough) not… (cough)… funny!" She yelled at him.

"Sorry…" He said trying to calm down.

"Now I think I need some water…" Rose said, trying to get rid of the dirt in her mouth.

"OK. Let's go home. The others might be starting to get worried by now"

And with that they flew back to the house.

"Uh… Jake? How do I land?" She sheepishly asked.

"Just use your wings as brakes, you know?" He answered.

"OK. I'll try…" She managed to slow down as she approached the ground and was going to make a perfect landing… Unfortunately, she lost the balance and fell with a yelp the second after her feet touched the ground.

"Gotcha!" Jake spoke after he grabbed her just in time.

"You knew I was going to fall again, didn't you?" She mumbled.

"Maybe…" He said with a smirk.

"I'm such a klutz" She laughed.

"Hey. You just need some training" Jake tried to reassure her. "Look at the bright side… At least you are able to dragon up with no problems" He said with a mischievous grin…

It took Rose some seconds to realize what he meant with that. Then, she gave him a deadly glare.

"Yo… Chill… I was just kidding…" He put his hands up in defense. "C'mon. Let's get in. Maybe mom made some breakfast for us" Jake said with a smile and opened the door. "After you"

"Such a gentleman" Rose joked. Then she turned her attention to the living room and received the greatest shock of her life…

"Surprise" Jake whispered into her ear.

There they were… Her family…

Rose tried to say something, but her voice completely disappeared.

"Rose?" She turned around and saw her. "Is… Is that really you?" It was Luna, her twin sister.

Rose continued speechless as Luna approached her. The sisters just kept staring at each other. They felt like looking into a mirror.

"It's Luna, right?" Rose nervously asked.

Luna just smiled and nodded. Rose raised her right hand (the one with the birthmark) and let the palm facing Luna. In response, she did the same with her left hand and they touched in a comparing hands gesture.

Finally, Luna jolted forward and embraced her sister. "Oh my God! I can't believe this! There are so many things I wanted to tell you… But I don't know where to start!"

Rose was taken aback, but she eventually returned the hug. "I'm here sis…" She didn't know why, but calling her that way felt really natural, even though it was the first time they ever talked. "I'm here…"

When they broke apart, Rose looked at her parents. Everything seemed so surreal. She was feeling numb. It felt more like a dream. Her mother had both hands over mouth and her eyes were twinkling. Her father had his mouth hung open.

"M-mom? D-dad?" Rose said, trying to hold back the sobs. She slowly walked into their direction and showed them the birthmark.

"Rose?" Violet kneeled down and looked into her eyes. She could recognize them… As clear as fourteen years ago. "My baby… My little girl…" It was the only thing she could say while she wrapped her arms around her child.

Jim also kneeled down and hugged them both, with a pure smile and tears streaming down his face. He was muted. All the words that wanted to come out were stuck inside his throat. He looked at Luna and motioned her to come. He wanted the whole family to be together on that special moment.

The others just watched from distance. They thought they should leave them alone for a while. They all were in the merge of tears too.

James never thought he would see his daughter again. He was the first one to give up after the police told him that there were almost no chances of finding her. Violet, on the other hand, never gave up and neither did Luna, after she was told about her twin sister. He deeply regretted it. Maybe they could've found her earlier if he tried harder. But it didn't matter anymore. There she was. The family was complete again.

"Mom… Dad…" She whispered while feeling their warm embrace.

"We love you sweetheart. Don't worry… We are here for you. We will finally be able to live together, as a normal family…" Violet tried to say, but this caused Rose to let go of them and walk away.

She sighed. "There's something else I need to tell you… I'm… I'm not a normal girl anymore…" She said with her back turned to them.

"It doesn't matter" James finally was able to say. "You are still our daughter. We will accept you just the way you are…"

"It will not be easy…"

"We can take it…" Jim trailed off when he saw yellow flames engulfing Rose. The family stared in shock as they saw her transforming into a… dragon? They started to back away full of fear.

"Please… don't be afraid… It's me… I won't hurt you…" She spoke softly.

They were petrified. Jake and the others just watched everything unfold in front of their eyes. Expectations grew when Violet finally started to walk into Rose's direction again.

"Violet! Don't!" Her husband tried to stop her, but was ignored. All she could do was stare deep into the dragon's blue eyes.

"What they did with you?" Violet whispered while stretching one of her arms and finally touching the dragon's face. Surprisingly, her scales were warm, not slimy and cold like she expected.

"It's all real… Fairies, leprechauns, unicorns… They all exist. And dragons… They are the protectors of the magical community…" Rose paused. "The Huntsclan does terrible things… They hunt them all… They are cold-blooded murders… And I was one of them. I was a monster… But then I found out the truth and switched sides… I've been acting as a double agent ever since. Then, they found out that I betrayed them… Everything went wrong and I almost died…"

"Rose…" Jim started to approach her too. He finally realized she was still her daughter.

"It was the only way… Jake had to transform me into a dragon to keep me alive…" Rose said and turned back to human.

"But… How?" Luna was shocked. _"My sister is a dragon?"_

"Jake and I are bonded. We are connected through heart, mind and spirit… It seems that we share the same dragon shi too…" Rose answered.

"Bonded? Are you saying that you two are kind of married?" Jim asked, outraged.

"Technically not, but it depends a lot on how you look at it… We are just… together… I don't know…" Jake said with his head down. He was afraid of what they were thinking. "There weren't any other options left… I'm sorry…"

"Wait! You're a dragon too?" Violet asked.

Jake nodded and dragoned up. That action made the Collins back away in fright again.

"Don't worry… Dragons aren't evil… They don't hurt innocent people" Rose tried to calm them down. Jake noticed her silently begging him to turn back to human.

James turned around to face Jonathan, his voice shaking. "Jon? Are you…"

"Oh… No, no, no. It's just my wife's side of the family" Jonathan said with a smile, trying to calm his friend.

"You know all of this is really hard to believe, don't you?" Jim remarked.

"Yeah. But I guess you get used to it…" Jonathan replied, shrugging.

Then, they turned their attention back to Rose, who was staring at the floor. James walked over to her and lifted her head, so she could look into his eyes. "Sweetheart… It doesn't matter. We love you… All of you"

She smiled in response and hugged him. "Thanks dad…"

"Look at you… You've grown up so much… You are almost a woman…" Violet said, caressing her hair.

Rose gave a shy smile, but it soon faded. "I wish it could have been different…" Then, she buried her head on her mother's shoulder and started to cry.

"There… There… It's alright… Let the tears wash everything away…" She whispered to her daughter.

After some minutes, Rose calmed down again, but didn't move. Her mother's soft fondling made her stay in a kind of half-asleep state.

"Jon… I don't know how to thank you" James tried to say, but he couldn't find the right words.

"No problems Jim. That's what friends are for, right? Besides… My son is the one you should thank. He did everything. I just gave him a little tip"

"Jake?" He called the boy.

"huh?" Jake was smiling as he watched Rose with her mother, but then turned his attention to the man.

"Thanks for helping us to reunite our family" Jim said, offering his hand.

"Hey… It was nothing. I would do anything for her" Jake answered and shook his hand.

"Are you two…"

"Dating? Yeah. Pretty much" Jake said with a chuckle. "We couldn't always be together because of the Huntsclan… But we managed to make it work somehow"

"I'm glad she found someone like you, who really cares about her"

"Well I…" Jake was nervous. He finally realized he was talking to Rose's father. Most likely his future father-in-law. "I really love her, you know?"

"I bet you do" Jim answered.

"Jake!" She heard someone call him. Before he could do anything else, he was hit by something purple and gold. It took him some seconds for his mind to register Rose with her arms tightly gripped around him. He sometimes forgot how strong she was.

"Thank you Jake! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Ugh… Rose… Take it easy… You are cutting my air supply… And I need that to keep myself handsome as I am"

"Modest as always…" She commented with a smirk.

"I know you are, but what am I?"

There was a short pause…

"I love you" They said in unison and blushed slightly.

"Happy homecoming" Jake pecked her cheek and started to drown in the deep blue of her eyes.

"Ah… screw this!" Rose finally said and passionately kissed him on the lips.

Jake wasn't expecting for that. It seemed that Rose would never lose her sneaky nature. Then, he finally gave in and closed his eyes, enjoying the love from the girl of his life.

When they broke apart, the couple realized their parents were glaring at them.

"Uhh… This is definitely awkward…" Jake remarked.

Rose just shrugged in response with an innocent smile. "What? My instincts got the better of me"

Finally, Jonathan coughed to get everyone's attention. "C'mon… Give the kids a little break. Now… Jakers, Rose… I think it's time for you to tell us your story from the beginning, because we really want to hear it"

"Ok… I guess…" He said, a bit unsure. He looked at Rose, who just nodded with a smile.

After that, the Longs invited everyone to eat breakfast with them. They reluctantly accepted and plates full of pancakes were served. At the same time, Jake and Rose started to tell about how they first met. It was going to be a really interesting meal, with laughs, tears and everything else…

* * *

**Well... Looks like I was mistaken. I'll write one more chapter and just then the epilogue. :P**

**Anyway. I hope you liked it!**

**Thanks for reading! Cheers!**


	26. A Noble Heart

******Hello folks!**

******So here we are. The last chapter before the epilogue.  
********(It's also the longest chapter of this story - lol)**

******No time to answer every review this time. Sorry about that. Please, trust me when I say that I appreciate EVERY one of them :D  
Thank you all! You are great! ;)**

******I'll answer the next ones with PMs, I promise :P**

******Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it! :D**

******Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney. **

* * *

**Chapter 26: ****A Noble Heart**

After the tale of the star-crossed lovers was told, most of the listeners were speechless.

"Wow… What a story! If I didn't know it really happened, I would have thought it came from a book or something like that" James said, but he was also a little scared with all that happened with his daughter.

"I still can't believe it…" Violet said, feeling like she was dreaming.

"Enemies who fell in love with each other, betrayal, forbidden love… How romantic!" Luna remarked. She had a little bit of maple syrup on her lips. "It's like… Romeo and Juliet with a happy ending!"

"You tell me" Rose said with a laugh.

"Not yet actually… We still have some other little things to do before we can start to celebrate for real" Jake added.

"Like what?" Luna asked.

"Well… We need to make sure the Huntsman won't come after you guys"

"What do you have in mind?" Jim asked.

"I was thinking about… Making the Huntsman think Rose really died. Maybe a fake funeral?" Jake answered.

"Violet?"

"Honey… I will do anything to keep our family and especially our daughter safe" She said with confidence.

"Alright. But we also need to talk to the Dragon Council" Jake added.

Rose froze at that statement. She was a bit afraid of facing the council.

"Dragon Council?" Violet asked, puzzled.

"Yeah. They look after all the dragons and other magical creatures in the world. They also make sure everything is working as it should"

"I see" Violet said.

"Rose? What's wrong?" Jake asked, noticing that she was a little pale.

"It's nothing… It's just that… I'm a bit scared…"

"Hey… Don't worry… They know you are on our side. Everything will be fine, you will see" He said, approaching her.

"I guess you are right…" She answered with a shy smile.

Suddenly, Jim's cell phone started to ring. He picked it up and answered the call.

"Hello? Mark? What? Yeah… We are ok. Why? Ah… Alright… Yeah. OK. See you later. Bye" He hung up and turned to Jonathan. "Excuse me… Could you please turn on the TV?"

"Of course… But why?" He said and went back to the living room, followed by all the others. Then, he started to look for the remote control.

"Mark said I should look at the news report for some reason…"

"What could it be?" Jonathan said as he turned on the television and started to look for the news channel.

"Here it is…" He trailed off. Everyone gasped in shock.

"Turn the volume up a bit…" James said with his eyes wide open.

"The police and the firefighters received many calls after a explosion was heard in the area. When they got there, they found the car being consumed by fire. There were no victims…"

"Jim? Isn't… I mean… wasn't that your car?" Jonathan asked.

Violet was terrified. He grasped his husbands hand and squeezed it. Luna hugged his mother like her life depended on it.

"I… We…" Jim stuttered.

Rose clenched her fists. The Huntsman had almost killed them… "That… Monster!" She shrieked. "I swear! He is going to pay!"

"Rose… Calm down… Everything is alright. No one is hurt…" Jake tried to say.

"But… They could've been there! It… It would have been my fault!"

Jim was the first one to recover from the shock. "Sweetheart… Don't think that. Jake is right. Everything is ok. It's just a car… What matters is that we are all here"

Rose then rushed to her family and hugged them. "Thank God you are alright"

"You see what I was talking about?" Jake said, trying to be as smooth as possible.

Jim turned his attention from Rose back to Jake. He nodded with a grave expression.

"Don't worry. We will take care of everything. Just trust us, ok?" Jake tried to reassure him.

Some time later…

"Uh… so… You said we are going to the Isle of Draco… But why are we on a train station?" Luna asked. They were disguised, in case of any Huntsclan members to be looking for them. Rose was using some of Luna's clothes that her parents brought with them.

"We are going to take the elevator" Fu dog said.

"Say what now?/ Excuse me?/ What?" Everyone except the ones who already knew about it gasped in shock. They still didn't quite get through the "talking dog" part, so you could say they were really freaked out by now.

"Yeah… I know… I've been through that too…" Jake said casually.

"Can I press the buttons this time, Gramps? Please?" Fu said, pulling his best puppy dog face.

"OK… But be fast" Lao Shi told him.

"Hmm… Let's see…" He said and pressed the buttons in a random order. "Hmm… No… It wasn't that…" He tried again… And again… "Hang on. I will remember it…"

"AIYA! Enough!" The elder dragon lost his patience and pushed the dog aside. He quickly dialed the right combination with the speed of a lightening and the doors opened.

"Smug…" Fu grumbled.

"Welcome to Enchanted Elevators, where service always comes with a smile" The magical creature that controlled the elevator creature said and gave a big "smile".

"Alright everyone. I suggest you to drink this" Fu said, grabbing a bottle and some small cups.

"Uh… What's this?" Rose asked.

"Unless you want to taste those pancakes again, just drink it. A-goo-goo-goo" He said as he put the pink liquid in the cups.

"If you say so…." She answered and swallowed it all. The others did the same.

"Please, prepare for departure" The creature warned.

"In other words, hold on tight like your life depended on it" Jake said.

"Wha-" Rose tried to say, but the elevator started to descend, making the "what" turn into a scream.

At the Isle of Draco…

"Welcome to the Isle of Draco"

"Spud! Let go of me dude!" Trixie yelled

"Are we still alive?" Spud asked with a shaky voice. He was trebling.

"Land! Solid land!" Luna shouted and threw herself on the grass.

"Honey… I'm not feeling well…" Violet told her husband.

"Me neither" He answered.

"Uh… Rose? You can let go of me now…" Jake said, feeling a little suffocated again.

"Sorry" She blushed.

"Mommy! My head is spinning!" Haley said.

"Susan… I think I will…" Jonathan said and felt his breakfast coming back to his mouth.

A second later, she was at his side, massaging his back. "There… There"

"Hmm… I guess I should have put a little more potion in his cup… Oh well…" Fu shrugged.

"Wow! This is amazing!" Luna said, looking around.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Lao Shi added with a smile.

"Well… This is definitely nothing like the photos in the Huntsclan books…" Rose said, amazed.

"Let me guess… You thought this would be dark, eerie and full of corpses?" Lao Shi asked.

"No. I mean… Well… Yeah… At least this is what I was told… I already expected it to be just another lie though. I'm just surprised about how wonderful this is"

"Magic can do a lot of things, young one" Gramps said with a chuckle.

"Ah. Lao Shi. We were waiting for you…" Councilor Andam started, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw everyone else. "What's the meaning of this?" He asked.

Jake sighed. "It's a long story…"

"Very well… Let's come in" And with that Andam led them into the castle and through the hallways, until they entered the Council Chamber. The other 3 dragons were already waiting for them. The chair that once belonged to Councilor Chang was still empty.

Rose started to tremble again. That place was huge and was creeping her out. She thought it was probably there that the criminals or evil creatures were judged. She was afraid that it could be her case.

Jake could feel Rose was really scared. He grabbed her hand and gently squeezed it, trying to calm her down.

"I guess we should start with presentations…" He said to the unknown guests "I'm Councilor Andam, the African Dragon" He said as he sat down with the others.

"I'm Councilour Kulde, the European Dragon"

"I'm Councilor Kukulkhan, the Dragon of Central America"

"And I'm Councilor Omina, the Dragon of Atlantis"

"And now…" Councilour Kulde started to say. "Lao Shi, we need your report concerning the Aztec Skulls"

"As you wish Councilors" And then he gave them a quick rundown of the events from the night.

"Bonded?" Omina asked after he finished. "So you are telling me that Jake and Huntsgirl are now..."

"Yes" Jake answered.

"Do you realize how irresponsible that decision was? You didn't fully understand all the effects of the bond. What if you had died while doing it?" Kukulkhan spoke.

"It was a risk I was willing to take. It was the only way to save her. What's the point of being the American Dragon if I can't save the people I love and care about? I had to try" He said, with his head down.

"Kukulkhan… I believe he is right" Andam said. "That's what being a dragon is about, isn't it? Taking risks to save the others"

"Yes, but…" He tried to snap back, but was cut off by Omina.

"What matters is that everything turned out well. It was his decision to bond with her. We can't condemn them for that. You remember the terrible tales about dragons who bonded and were killed by the council during the Middle Ages. That's definitely something I don't want to bring back"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Then, Kukulkhan finally gave up.

"Hmm… Very well. So the skulls are now destroyed?" Councilor Andam asked.

"Yes. And so are the Gargoyles of Pantheon" Lao Shi added.

"What about the Huntsclan members who supposedly gave up hunting magical creatures?" Councilor Omina asked.

"We don't know their whereabouts now. It seems that they will stay hidden for a while"

"And I think that settles it. But now… We have more matters to solve…" Councilor Kukulkhan said. "Does Jake's father…"

"It's Jonathan, sir" He shyly added.

"OK. So, does Jonathan know everything about the dragon heritage of his wife's side of the family?"

"Well… Actually I have just found out about it. I don't know much, to be honest. All I know is that my son is the American Dragon and he is responsible for protecting the magical creatures in New York City"

"As a member of the family, you have the right of knowing about this secret and the magical community itself, but no one else does. You cannot tell anything to anyone else, even the members of your side of the family, or else you will face a fair punishment. Am I being clear?" Councilor Andam spoke.

"Yes, sir. Clear as water. I swear I will not betray your trust" Jonathan said, bowing.

"Good. Now…" Councilor Kulde turned to face Rose. "Huntsgirl…"

She almost jumped in fright. It was the moment she was afraid of. She hesitated and kept her head down.

"Huntsgirl?" He repeated.

"_Everything will be okay. Don't be scared" _She heard a voice in the back of her head. It was Jake. She looked at him and saw him giving her a reassuring smile. _"I'm here with you" _And with that she felt him tightening his grip on her hand. She found it hard to understand the fact that they could talk without even exchanging a single word. _"Yeah. It creeps me out a little too" _Was Jake's answer.

Rose felt a little better and lifted her head. "Yes, Councilors"

"You must understand that the crimes you committed are enough for us to lock you up in a cell for at least 10 years" Kulde told her.

"Yes, I understand…" Rose said and dropped her head again. "I did bad things… And I regret them all…"

"On the other hand… You also have been a valuable ally during these last months. You saved all the magical community and for that we are really grateful" He paused. "As we believe you really changed your ways, we decided to forgive all your previous transgression"

Rose gasped in surprise. "What? But…"

"You are now free from all the charges" Councilor Andam said with a smile.

"No… This isn't right!" She cried. "You are just going to forget everything I did? It's not fair! A good action doesn't erase a life of mistakes!"

"Rose! What are you doing?" Jake tried to say, but was ignored.

"That's true. But mistakes don't make you a bad person either" Omina spoke. "You did wrong in the past? Fine… What is done is done. You can't change that. But you also have the whole life ahead to do what is right"

"But crimes are crimes… They can't go unpunished! And you call yourselves the Dragon Council! You should be ashamed!" Rose didn't know why she was saying that. She was just doing what she believed that was right.

"Silence!" Kukulkhan shouted and got up. "Don't be insolent, girl! Before you say something that you might regret, answer me one thing: What punishment is for?"

This caught Rose off guard. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She didn't know what to say.

"Answer" He ordered her.

"It… It makes you remember what is wrong and what is right… It's a reminder that everything has consequences… And that we can't keep making the same mistakes…"

"Exactly" Kukulkhan continued. "Now, tell me… Do you know what you did wrong?"

"Yes…"

"Do you know that your actions as Huntsgirl brought harm and pain to many magical creatures?"

"Yes…"

"Will you continue to do these things?"

"Never…"

"Then what's the point of punishing you, my dear?" He finally said and sat down. "Can't you see? Everything that you had to learn… You already know"

Rose was speechless. She didn't realize that her own answers were the strongest arguments against all the things she said before.

"You never slayed any innocent magical creature. You are not a murder. And you certainly are not evil. You are just a girl who was misled" Councilor Andam spoke. "We believe in forgiveness and lenience, Huntsgirl. We are willing to give you a second chance. Use it well"

"I… I promise I won't disappoint you" Rose said, bowing. "Sorry about what I said earlier… I…"

"No need to apologize, my dear" Omina smiled. "You have a noble heart. And that's something we greatly value. Just don't be so harsh on yourself, ok?"

"Thanks" She said with a sheepish laugh. "Uh… Councilors… Just one more thing…"

"Yes?" Andam answered.

"Please… Stop calling me Huntsgirl… I'm not her anymore. She is more than dead to me"

"Very well. So what's your real name?"

"Rose"

"Then, Rose, You are now a free woman"

Luna squealed in happiness and hugged her sister. "I'm so happy sis! Everything went well!"

Rose looked back at the councilors and noticed they were slightly confused.

"She is my twin sister" Rose explained.

"Ah… Right" Kulde said. "According to the message Lao Shi sent us earlier, we also have to discuss what to do about the safety of your family" He said and turned his attention to James and Violet. "I assume you are Rose's parents"

"Yes, councilors" James said.

"The very same thing we said to Jonathan earlier applies to you too, understood?"

"Understood" Violet answered.

"Can you please give us your names?" Kulde asked.

"My name is James Collins. This is my wife, Violet and my daughter, Luna"

Councilor Kulde nodded and started to write on some papers.

"So, what's the plan?" Luna asked.

"Well… The first matter is the Huntsman… What was your plan Jake? Lao Shi mentioned it, but didn't explain really well" Kukulkhan said.

"We thought about a fake funeral to make the Huntsman think Rose… Errr… I mean… 'Huntsgirl' really died" He said, with air quotes.

"Hmm… Interesting. It might work. That way we will have more time to solve everything. James, Violet? What are your thoughts on this?" Andam said.

"We agree. If you think that will work, we will do it"

"Then it's set. We will schedule and prepare everything. And we are going to let the false information that Huntsgirl died leak"

They nodded and gave a thankful smile.

"We will need to get Rose's new birth papers and everything related. I'm afraid there are Huntsclan spies all over the place, so it's too risky to do it the usual way. We will take care of that ourselves" Omina spoke.

"Excuse me, but how is that possible?" James asked, a bit confused.

"Well, keep in mind that we also have our resources. With a little bit of magic we can make everything turn perfectly legal. So don't worry about that" Kulde explained.

"OK…"

"We are also going to list your family in the Magical Community Protection Program, or MCPP, for short. We will fill you in with more details later, but I assure you that it will keep you all one hundred percent safe"

"Thank you so much councilors, we don't know what we would do without your help"

"After all you daughter have done for us, it's the least we can do" Andam said

"Wait… What about school?" Jake asked.

"Hmmm… Yes… That's another problem… If Derceto was still the principal of Millard Fillmore, it would be easier to transfer Rose's school files to new ones under her real name… But since Rotwood has taken that position… We will have to do it the hard way. We will send a special agent to play the role of a police officer and to tell him a slightly different version of what happened. Lao Shi? Do you think you could do that?"

"With pleasure. I'll ask Fu to prepare some Shapeshifting potion"

"One last thing… I think it would be better if you move to a different house. Just an extra measure to make sure nothing goes wrong" Andam suggested.

"Alright. We will do that"

"The MCPP will offer financial help, if necessary" Then, Andam turned to Lao Shi. "And speaking of that, I believe you will need a new shop, am I right?"

"Yes. It's too risky to stay with the old one, since the Huntsclan know its location"

"We will take care of that too. We will give you the new address as soon as we can"

Lao Shi bowed and thanked.

"And… I believe that was all. Is there anything else that needs discussion?" Kulde asked.

"I…" Rose started, but hesitated.

"Rose? Is there something else you want to tell us?" Omina asked.

"Yes... I have a last request"

"What is it?"

"I… Well… I want to…" But the words got stuck inside her throat.

"Don't worry. We don't bite" Omina joked, trying to cheer the mood a little.

Rose laughed. "Well… I… I wanted to do something to redeem myself…"

"Rose… It's not necessary. We already talked about this…"

"No. It's not that… It's just something that I want to do"

"And that would be?" Kulde asked.

"I… I want to be the second American Dragon" She finally said.

Everyone gasped in shock. Rose remained serious, though.

"Jake and I are bonded. I know it seems weird, but we are stronger together. We can kind of read each other's minds and… I have the feeling that it would be a great advantage"

"But I'm the Second American Dragon!" Haley cried.

"No… I don't mean to take Haley's place. What I want to do is help Jake with his dragon duties. After all this years in the Huntsclan, it just doesn't feel right for me to just live normally from now on. I just couldn't do that. I'm not a normal human anymore. I want to really do something good with my life. I know I can do this. I have to…"

"Well… I can't see anything wrong with it. But we can't give you that title… I mean… To be the American Dragon, you need to… How can I tell you this?" Kulde tried to say.

"Be a dragon?" Rose maliciously asked.

"Exactly… Because…" But before he could continue, she was cut off by Rose again.

"DRAGON UP!"

Later that day, back at NYC…

Jake and Rose were at the Central Park again. They decided to enjoy the fresh air of that Saturday morning.

"Rose! You should have seen their faces when they saw you transforming! It was priceless!" Jake couldn't stop laughing.

"I bet" Rose said with a grin while she leaned against Jake's shoulder.

"So, how does it feel to be the American Dragon?" He asked.

"I don't know. We didn't have any action yet…" She answered. "How do you feel about having a partner, then?"

"Seriously… To have my girlfriend fighting side-by-side with me as a dragon? That's more like a dream come true!"

"We will see about that, Dragon Boy…"

Jake flinched. That nickname and the way she says it still sent shivers down his spine.

"I'm not sure if I'll get used to that nickname…"

"Oh… You will… Or else Ill make you"

"Uh… Wha… What do you mean with that?"

"Gotcha!" She said and ruffled his hair.

"Hey! My hair!"

She giggled. But she got worried when she saw Jake suddenly get sad.

"What's wrong?" She softly said putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry… I know you just wanted a normal life… I know it's not entirely my fault… But I'm responsible for it too… Now you are a dragon…"

"What are you talking about?" Rose asked with a raised eyebrow, until she finally understood what he was saying. "Jake… No… "

"But… It was all you wanted… You wanted to be normal… And I took that away from you…"

"Don't say that. Jake… Listen to me…" She paused. "This is not what I meant. What I really wanted was to be like you Jake… I didn't tell you this before because I knew it would sound weird. I… I envied you Jake… I envied your powers. That's the truth… People always expected good things from you. You are a hero Jake, and you can't deny that. And what was I? An evil ninja hidden behind a mask who only was expected to cause pain and harm… But now… you gave me everything I always dreamed of. You set me free. Now I can make good, Jake. Not only that, but I also have powers and I can use them to help others… I can finally be a good person"

"Rose…"

"I wouldn't change anything… Even if I could" She looked into his eyes. "I know I told you this a thousand times already… But… Thank you, Jake. For everything… My life is perfect now… Thanks to you"

Then, something caught their attention. They were being spied.

"Whoever it is… Show up now!" Rose yelled and got up in a flash. So did Jake.

"Hey Huntsgirl… Won't you say hello to an old friend?" The voice said.

"Who is it?" She asked as she stood in a fighting stance.

Finally, the shadow dropped from the tree. Rose widened her eyes in shock. "Kate?"

"C'mon Rose! Won't you give your best friend a hug?" Kate cheerfully said. She was using regular clothes and had a warm and sincere look in her eyes.

Rose finally gave in and ran into her direction. Jake just watched with a smile on his face.

"Girl… I was so worried about you!" Kate told her as they broke apart. "Hey Jake!" She added.

He simply waved back at her with a grin.

"What are you doing here?" Rose confusedly asked.

"I was passing by and decided to check up on you. I couldn't help but listen to your conversation. Is it true? Are you really a dragon now?" Kate asked with excitement.

"Yeah…" Rose hesitated a little.

"Hey… Don't worry. I quit too. No more Huntsclan for me"

"And neither for me". Rose turned around and saw Sam smiling at them.

"Sam!" She squealed and ran into his direction and gave him a friendly hug. "How are you buddy?"

"Pretty fine I guess… Hey Jake!"

"Sam" He answered and shook his hand.

"But… How? I mean…" Rose couldn't believe it. "_So they were the Huntsclan members Lao Shi was talking about earlier"_

"That's it. We quit. We saw that the Huntsclan was just a lie… And we couldn't take it anymore" Kate explained. "But the real reason why we came here is because we have news"

"What is it?" Jake curiously asked.

"Turns out that the Aztec Skulls fiasco was broadcasted to all the Huntsclan franchises around the world… Everyone saw what happened… And felt it as well…"

"And?"

"The Huntsclan is broken in two, Jake. The ones who quit are uniting and forming a new organization… The Guardians"

"What?" Jake and Rose said in unison.

"We will fight against the Huntsclan. We will help to protect the magical community from their evil plans. And also, we are going protect all the babies who are born with the birthmark. We will not let what happened to you happen to anyone else" Kate told Rose.

Jake and Rose just looked at each other in shock.

"That's… Awesome!" Jake cheered.

"Not only that… But we are going to make you two honorary Guardians" Sam said and handed them two rings. "These rings are not only a sign that you are one of us, but also it's a communicator. If you ever need help, just give a call, ok?"

"Thank you guys" Rose said with a smile.

"Well… We have to go now. There are many things that we need to take care of. See you later… American Dragons" Kate said with a smile. "Bye!" She waved and started to walk away.

"See you!" Sam said and went after her.

Then, Jake and Rose turned their attention back to the rings.

"Well… I guess things are never going to be the same again…" Jake said as he put a ring on one of his fingers.

"You bet" Rose added with a laugh and wore the other one.

"So… Wanna see who gets home faster?"

"I'm on!" Rose said as she turned into dragon and threw herself into the air.

"Hey! You had a headstart!" Jake said while doing the same.

"Whatever Dragon Boy!"

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**And that was it! :D**

**Hope you enjoyed it. I'll write the epilogue and this story will be oficially done.**

**Cheers and Thanks for reading!**


	27. My Fierce Angel

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**And here is the grand finale :D**

Hope you all like it! :)

**Disclaimer: I do not own "American Dragon: Jake Long" or any of the characters/ episodes. They belong to Disney. **

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**Epilogue****: My Fierce Angel**

"Destroy everything!"

Hobgoblins were breaking havoc at the Magus Bazaar while all the magical creatures around were running and screaming in panic.

"This is so really fun!"

"Please! Someone stop them!" a random creature screamed.

"Don't be afraid! 'Cause the Am Drag is in the house!" A red blur suddenly shot through the air and hit one of the hobgoblins, making him fly and crash into a wall.

"Dragon! Make him hurt bad!" The other one shouted.

"Dang… That didn't make any sense at all. I think it's time for me to give you some English lessons. Both theorical… And practical!" He said as he grabbed the creature with his tail and sent him flying into the others.

"C'mon! Give it all you got!" Jake said while they got up and started to charge at him again.

Two of them leaped into him from opposite directions, but Jake got down and they ended up hitting each other's heads.

Another one tried to attack directly. Jake grabbed his arm and threw him into the other two, who still were on the ground.

"Oh yeah! That's what I'm talking about… Whoa!" Then, he was attacked from behind. A terrible pain coursed through his left shoulder and Jake fell to the ground.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw them ready to slay him. Jake didn't even have time to think. He blew a giant fireball that made the hobgoblins back away, so he could get up and recover.

But soon enough they were all over him again. They overpowered Jake and held him against the wall.

"It's end. Say bye-bye"

"I suggest you to let go of him right now!" They heard someone shout from behind.

"Who is you? Appear!"

"I'll say it one last time. Let go of him…" The mysterious voice repeated with a threatening tone.

"Or what?"

The answer was a tomato that splashed into his face. He cleaned it off the best he could and opened his eyes to see a pink and blue dragon stepping out of the shadows toying with another tomato next to a vegetables stand.

"There are more from where that one came from…" She smirked. If there was something that a hobgoblin hated, was to be humiliated.

"You pay for this!" He screamed.

"You asked for it" She simply said. "You know… seven against one doesn't seem really fair to me. Let's see if I can balance things a little"

"Get dragon! Break it on half"

The hobgoblins attacked. Rose grabbed more tomatoes and threw them into their direction. All of them hit the target and before they could understand what was going on, the dragoness swept them all with her tail.

She quickly went to help Jake. The two creatures who were holding him could just stare at her without moving. She simply grabbed their heads and knocked them out.

"You ok?" She asked Jake.

"Yeah. I think…" He answered, a bit annoyed. "Can we talk later? We have some other matters to take care of…"

"They?" Rose asked as she coiled her tail around the wrist of a hobgoblin who was trying to sneak up grab her ankle. She did this without taking his eyes off Jake. She threw him into the others who were charging again, making all of them fall and form a pile. "Oh… Please…"

"So after just a week you think you can take down anything?" Jake said as he himself grabbed a double headed axe that was flying into their direction with his tail and sent it back to the unfortunate hobgoblin that threw it. "I'm sorry, but you have a long way to go before you can reach the same level as Mac Daddy Jake here"

"Well… I'm think I'm doing pretty well, since I've just saved you from being slaughtered" She said while punching another one.

"I could handle it!" Jake said and hit a hobgoblin who was coming from behind with the back of his fist.

"Yeah. Like you could handle those angry brownies last Monday…" She commented sarcastically. "Sorry, but someone's got to watch your back. I always end up fixing your mess ups"

"Hey! What about the magic apples fiasco yesterday? If it wasn't for me, you would be in real trouble now"

"Touché" She said and elbowed another hobgoblin. "Why are you so grouchy today?"

"Sorry… I think I still didn't quite get used to this whole Two American Dragons thing yet…"

"I'm sure you eventually will" She said and then both of them stepped back when another one tried to attack them from above. He fell with his face on the hard floor. "You know what? These guys are starting to annoy me. Let's finish them off for once and for all, shall we?"

"Sure!" Jake answered and stood back-to-back with Rose. "Time to fight for real!"

After some kicks, punches and team work, the hobgoblins started to retreat and run for their lives. "Let's go out of here!"

"Leaving so soon?" Jake and Rose shouted at the same time and started to laugh.

"Well… That was fun!" Jake exclaimed.

"Yeah… But your shoulder…" Rose tried to say. She could feel it tingling through their bond.

"It's nothing, don't worry" He tried to calm her. Then, he looked around and noticed that all the magical creatures were coming out of their hiding place and just stared at the two dragons, but in special, Rose.

"Yo! Attention everyone! I have great news for you!" Jake spoke. "From now on, in addition to the Am Drag here, you will have another dragon to look after you! I want you all to give a warm welcome to Rose, the new American Dragon!"

After some seconds, everyone recovered from the shock and started to cheer and clap their hands

Jake looked back at Rose and she was radiant. She had such a twinkle in her eyes that Jake couldn't help but give a large grin.

At Gramps new pawn shop…

"So, how did you feel in your first public appearance?" Jake asked while Rose took care of the injury on his shoulder.

"Well… I felt a little… nervous in the beginning but… you know… I think I'll get used to it"

"Oh. You will. You did great back there"

"I learned with the best" She chuckled. "You didn't do so bad yourself, Jake. Thanks for the tips about when the hobgoblins would attack" She said.

"Hey… No problems babe. And you also gave me some tips. That axe was going to cut me in the half…" Jake laughed.

"Hey… Don't say that, ok? I was really scared when I saw it coming."

"Sorry… Anyway… Changing the subject… How is your family?"

"They are great, Jake. Dad changed our last name to Miller to protect us. Now, I'm Rose Ann Miller, isn't that nice? Now I have a full name to go by" She paused while starting to bandage him. "Good news is that we found a new house… And it's actually a few blocks from yours" She said with a smile.

"That's great!" Jake cheerfully answered. Now he would be able to see Rose any time he wanted to. "And that sounds a lot better than Rose Killdragonosa. That must be worst fake last name ever… Really…"

Rose smiled. "I love my sister. She acts like a little child sometimes, but she is just so sweet."

"And your parents?"

"Well… Dad is a bit strict… But… You know… He is a bed of roses when compared to the Huntsman. Mom, on the other hand, is really overprotective. She babies me so much that it's kind of annoying… But… I think I wouldn't be able to stay away for a day without missing them" She laughed.

"Good to know" Jake smiled.

"How is your family feeling about you dating a former slayer that turned into a dragon?"

"Well… Dad is pretty cool about it. Although he is still getting used to the fact that we are all dragons" Jake chuckled. "Sometimes he forgets and ends up freaking out before remembering"

"What about your mother and sister? The way they stared at me that day, I thought they would toast me"

"They are not that comfortable about it yet. But they will get over it" He reassured her. "So… What about that… Magical Community Protection thing?"

"Well… It's not much to be honest. You could say it's just a couple of spells and other kinds of magical barriers that block our files in the government and such. No one in the Huntsclan will be able to find our new name or where we will live. There are more things, but not that important. Plus, the Huntsman now thinks I'm dead, so I wouldn't worry so much about him coming to get his revenge"

"Phew… For a moment I thought they would send you to Hong Kong or something" Jake said with a laugh.

"Hey… Don't worry. Things are going to work right from now on" Rose said while finishing with the bandages. "And it's done"

"Rose… You are amazing" He answered with a smile. "And… sorry about last week… I hurt you real bad, didn't I?"

"Nah. Just scratches. I've been through worse stuff. It's on the past now. Just forget it, ok?" She said, kissing his cheek.

"Thanks…" He sheepishly said. "And thanks for being my guardian angel… sort of" He added, studying her handy work.

Rose chuckled.

"Wait! That's it!" Jake suddenly said when an idea popped into his mind.

"What?" Rose asked, puzzled.

"Your nickname! You are My Angel!"

Rose thought about it for a minute. "You know what, Dragon Boy? I liked it"

"Young dragons? Is everything okay?" Then, Lao Shi came from the back of the shop.

"Yeah. Rose has just finished fixing up my shoulder" He said, putting his jacket back on. "How is it going there on the back?"

"Almost ready kid" Fu dog said. "We might move a thing or two, but everything is already here"

"This is a really nice shop, Gramps" Jake said with a smile.

"Indeed. Well… I think tomorrow we can start with the dragon training again" Lao Shi added. "Rose? Are you prepared for your first lessons?"

Rose spit a fireball on her palm that shaped into a small version of her Huntsgirl-self. She stared at it for some seconds and finally closed her hand, destroying it, and looked back at the other with a fierce fire on her eyes.

"More than ever"

And it was on...

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The End.

Well. I really hope you all enjoyed this little piece of mine.

I would really like thank:

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- ada69  
- Fudogg  
- Hezpeller  
- Marcie Gore  
- Noble6  
- Onej6  
- Hiezen Uchiha  
- StrayBullet69  
- MusicFlowsWithin  
- Kyeru  
- Niko56  
- largefish8  
- anon  
- Rik

**Thanks so much for reading this story and helping me to keep going with your kind reviews!  
You are awesome!**

**Well... I'm kind of working on a sequel (as some of you requested). It will take a little time to sort out the plot, so be a little aptient, ok? :)**

**Cheers and Thanks for reading! :D**

**BlueserDragon.**


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